Boris Johnson appoints Carphone Warehouse tycoon as London Olympics representative

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has today appointed David Ross, the co-founder of retail chain Carphone Warehouse, as his nominee to represent him on the board of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games.

The Mayor has also asked Mr Ross to look at all aspects of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to ensure that they create a truly lasting legacy for all Londoners and that London is not 'saddled' with an unreasonable bill for generations to come.

The Mayor also announced that Neale Coleman is to be retained as the Greater London Authority’s adviser on the London Games.

Boris Johnson said: “I promised Londoners I would ensure that the investment we are making in the 2012 Games offer the best value for money and David is just the man for the job.

"He is one of Britain’s leading entrepreneurs and brings years of business experience to the role. Having co-founded one of our most well known household names and turned it into a huge success, his skills will be vital in helping to deliver the legacy on which the success of the London Games will be judged.

“It is also great news that Neale Coleman has agreed to continue to advise on the 2012 Games as it means we retain access to a wealth of experience and a range of skills that will be invaluable to me and my team in the coming years.

"Neale helped steer London’s bid through to success in Singapore and has been instrumental in guiding progress to date to the point where we are three months ahead of our original schedule in beginning construction on the Olympic Park.”

Sebastian Coe, London 2012 Organising Committee Chair said: “David Ross is one of the UK’s most successful businessmen, and will be a very valuable addition to the LOCOG board.

"He is passionate about sport, and his interest in sport, combined with his strong commercial acumen will make him an important part of the team as we focus on staging a truly memorable games and on delivering a commercial programme that raises £2 billion of private funding. I’m delighted to welcome him aboard.”

The announcement comes ahead of the Mayor’s first meeting with the International Olympic Committee Co-ordination Commission for the 2012 Games.

He is expected to tell the commission that the success of the London Games will be judged on how London changes for the better and that we must lay the foundations now that will ensure a successful transformation of East London.

He is also expected to say that he wants those benefits to be felt long after 2012 and far beyond the boundaries of the Olympic Park by ensuring that we inspire young Londoners to become more active, more ambitious towards making more positive lifestyles and push sporting achievement up the agenda.