LAUSANNE, March 5, 2009 - The International Olympic Committee (IOC)  has announced the  appointment of former BBC journalist Mark Adams as Director of Communications. Adams, 45, will take up his new position at the end of May.

Mark Adams, from Great Britain, is joining the IOC from the World Economic Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was Managing Director and Head of Media and Communications. Leading a team of 18, he oversaw the media, web and publications departments, as well as managing the organisation’s public image globally, both at the Forum’s Annual Meeting at Davos, and throughout the year.  

A former journalist, Adams started his career as a reporter and producer for BBC Radio before moving to ITN/ITV in London as Evening News programme editor and as the producer responsible for weekend sports coverage.  In 1996, he became the launch programme editor of Channel 5 News, where he created an entirely new format of producing the news to attract a young audience. He then joined multilingual and pan-European television news channel Euronews, in Lyon, as Editorial Director, where he led a team of 250 working in seven languages, before taking on his current role at the Forum.

Announcing the new appointment, IOC President Jacques Rogge said, “We would like to welcome Mark Adams to the IOC team. Mark comes with strong media experience and a good understanding of the communications challenges facing big organisations such as the IOC. His expertise and creativity in finding innovative ways to reach out to young people will be a strong asset. We are looking forward to having him on board in June.” 

Commenting on his appointment, Adams said: “The IOC is one of a handful of truly world class organisations with a powerful global influence.  It has the ability to be a force for good across a whole range of issues and to reach into the lives of millions of people worldwide.  To be part of such an organisation will be a huge privilege. To maintain the IOC’s relevance and to make sure the ideals of the organisation are truly understood around the world and with all age groups is a truly exciting challenge.“