Tim Hollingsworth OBE, the current Chief Executive of Sport England and previous CEO of the British Paralympic Association, has been appointed Professor of Practice (Sport) at the University of Bath. He will take up the part-time role for a two-year period starting in September 2025.

The Professor of Practice role brings experts with high-level experience outside higher education to share their expertise with students, and to contribute toward the University’s strategy. The role will also seek to deepen Bath’s connections with sporting organisations in the UK and around the world.

Tim is one of the UK’s leading sports administrators. He will join shortly after concluding a seven-year period as CEO of Sport England, the government agency for community and grassroots sport and activity.

His time as CEO of the British Paralympic Association included his serving as the Secretary General for Paralympics GB at four Paralympic Games, including the transformational London 2012. He has also served as Chief Operating Officer and Director of Policy & Communications at UK Sport.

With a long history of working to support disability sport, he is currently the Government’s Disability & Access Ambassador for Sport and Activity, reporting into the Cabinet Office. He has also been a Non-Executive Director of the Youth Sport Trust and the Football Foundation.

Tim has been a member of the University of Bath’s Council for the past six years and will conclude his term on the governing body in July.

Tim Hollingsworth said: “I am excited and delighted to be joining the University as Professor in Practice in September. Bath has a fantastic heritage in both student and high-performance sport and some incredible world leading academic work, but there is a real opportunity for a step change to determine a strategy that combines the two more powerfully than ever before. I look forward to contributing to this focus and helping shape the future sport offer to students, academics and the wider sport sector.”

Cassie Wilson, Pro Vice Chancellor (Student Experience), said: “Tim is the ideal person to be our Sport Professor of Practice. His work has been crucial in effecting real change in how sport and disability sport in the UK are run, and how they are viewed, and he has achieved unprecedented success.

“In this new role, Tim will have the scope to further enhance the University’s world-class sport provision, and to further our links with sporting organisations both in the UK and internationally.”