TfL fills Townsend’s role on interim basis
Transport for London (TfL) has appointed Nigel Marson interim marketing director following Chris Townsend’s departure from the capital’s transport authority.
Marson is head of marketing at TfL but is preparing to step up to the temporary role when Townsend leaves at the end of July.
The process to replace Townsend on a permanent basis “is underway but is open-ended” according to an insider, and despite Marson seeming the favourite to fill the role, external candidates are likely to be considered over the coming weeks once all internal options have been examined, says the source.
The London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) appointed Townsend as commercial director last month (MW June 8). Reporting to chief executive Paul Deighton, Townsend will be responsible for domestic sponsorship, ticket marketing and merchandising. His new role will involve negotiating London 2012’s share of worldwide broadcast rights and sponsorship for the games with the International Olympic Committee.
Other high-profile positions Townsend has filled in the past include a variety of marketing roles in both the public and private sectors. After an early spell at the BBC, he moved to satellite broadcaster BSkyB, where he held several posts, finally becoming commercial director for Sky Interactive. He left BSkyB in 1999 to become director of interactive services at broadband provider Telewest, and joined TfL in 2003.
