INTERVIEW
MALCOLM ROSS
The OPLC’s executive director of operations and venues talks to Karen Maxwell about his vision for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park post-2012
Torch begins its journey towards its 2016 destination in Rio, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is set to be transformed into a thriving community and a vibrant focal point for events, sport and leisure – with Olympic heritage at its heart. The Olympic Park Legacy Company
W
(OPLC), established in 2009 by the Mayor of London and central government as a public sector, not-for-profit company, is responsible for the long-term plan- ning, development, management and maintenance of the park and its facilities post-Games. Its board of direc- tors comprises a team of experts whose skills range from sports,
hen the Closing Ceremo- ny of the 2012 Paralympic Games brings London 2012 to an end and the Olympic
social enterprise and community engage- ment, to business, marketing and finance. A year ago, Malcolm Ross joined the
OPLC operations team, bringing 30 years’ experience in strategic planning, opening and operating large-scale devel- opments to the party. Former managing director, Europe
for Le Meridien Hotels; vice president of Disneyland Paris; vice president of Disney MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida and most recently chief operating officer for Seven Tides, Dubai – where he was responsible for several mixed-use develop- ments – Ross might be new to the public sector but he’s certainly able to bring an international perspective to the project. “I’ve worked on mixed-use develop-
ments and multi-faceted sites and have a strong background in hospitality, enter- tainment and the hosting of large-scale international events,” he explains. “But developing an Olympic-fo- cused legacy within the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and link- ing it with the regeneration of
East London is a unique opportunity – so I didn’t have to be asked twice. The OPLC is not charged with opening a venture and then walking away from it. We’ll be opening up the park off the back of an Olympic legacy with a commer- cially-focused, community-grounded development that will evolve over the next 20 years.”
Long-term vision So how will Ross’ previous experience impact the Olympic park project? “Disney- land Paris was a parallel project, although without the sporting connotation,” he explains. “The setting up of this entertain- ment and leisure destination became the catalyst for the regeneration of Eastern Paris. We developed a very big entertain- ment and hospitality complex, which has become the biggest tourist destination in Europe with over 15 million visitations a year. In Dubai we developed several mixed-use developments that included five-star hotels, entertainment complex- es and residential areas. It was putting
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