Air Miles man to head London Olympic bid
Keith Mills, the multi-millionaire inventor of the Air Miles scheme, has today been named as chief executive for London’s 2012 Olympic bid.
It is understood that he will deal with the day to day running of the bid, while chairman Barbara Cassani will take more of a strategic overview concentrating on lobbying and marketing.
Ms Cassani commented: “I am delighted that Keith has accepted our invitation to join London 2012 as Chief Executive.
“In business he has proved he is able to take a concept and turn it into a worldwide reality. He has the skills to run the Bid and then win the support of the sporting community. We have the right man for the job.”
Mr Mills, who is also the brains behind the Nectar loyalty card, is a skilled yachtsman and was one of the crew that won the 1999 Clipper Round The World Yacht Race.
He joins the ranks of senior members of the bid who are from the airline industry. Ms Cassani was previously chief executive at Go, while the bid’s marketing director David Magliano was one of Go’s founders and helped lead the management buyout of the low cost airline from British Airways.
Paris, Madrid and New York are seen as London’s main rivals for the Games. The International Olympic Committee will decide which city is successful in July 2005.
Yesterday (Thursday) the London team learnt that it will make its presentation to the IOC seventh of the nine cities bidding for the 2012 event. It will follow Paris, Leipzig, New York, Moscow, Istanbul and Havana, and precede Madrid and Rio de Janeiro.
Do you think London’s bid for the Games will be successful? Add a comment to this story.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt