British Cycling CEO departs following string of controversies

Monday, 31 October 2022 Mark Sutton

The CEO of British Cycling Brian Facer is to leave the organisation with immediate effect by mutual agreement with the Board of Directors.

With many British Cycling members currently chopping up their membership cards in the wake of a long-term sponsorship deal inked with oil giant Shell the search for a new CEO is apparently already in progress.

In the role for under two years, Facer replaced Julie Harrington in 2021, but upon leaving will find the CEO role temporarily occupied by Danielle Every, currently British Cycling’s Delivery Director until such time a replacement has been recruited.

Having gone down like a lead balloon with environmentally conscious members and ambassadors, many were reporting being charged a £10 cancellation fee and being required to return their cards to to terminate membership.

This has far from been the only controversy to land during the tenure of Brian Facer. The organisation has also had to grapple with its decision to block trans riders from competing, plus the issuance of unusual and retracted advice to cyclists not to ride on the day of the Queen’s funeral.

Though its membership had climbed north of 150,000, the financial challenges to the cycling governing body were also becoming an issue. Total income for British Cycling fell away by 26% in the year to March 31st, 2021 from £33.5 million down to £24.6 million. A driving factor in this decline has been the notably reduced number of events that have been held since the pandemic began.

British Cycling Chair, Frank Slevin, said: “We remain fully committed to the delivery of our ‘Lead our sport, inspire our communities’ strategy, as we continue our work to support and grow our sport and wider activities, and provide our Great Britain Cycling Team riders with the best possible platform for success.

“Our new CEO will join the organisation at an exciting time as we build towards next year’s inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships in Scotland, and the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024.”