Top CEOs Under Starter’s Orders for Sport Relief! – Cisco, Orange, BT, Barclays, RIM, IBM, Oracle and more

Top CEOs Under Starter’s Orders for Sport Relief!

UK’s Boardroom Champions get set for LeaderBoard Triathlon Challenge for Sport Relief

Boardrooms of some of the best known UK and Global businesses are about to get a lot more active as over 30 top CEOs and business leaders take part in the inaugural LeaderBoard Triathlon Challenge for Sport Relief to take place from now until June.

The high powered executives invited by Comic Relief and Phil Smith, CEO of Cisco UK & Ireland, will complete the Blenheim Triathlon and another sporting challenge during Sport Relief alongside Comic Relief’s CEO Kevin Cahill. Each member hopes to raise between £10k and £25k, so with these targets comes a massive commitment. Team members include leaders from Cisco, IBM, Barclays, Oracle, RIM, Michael Page, Orange and BTiNet.

Kevin Cahill, CEO of Comic Relief, said:

“Comic Relief is delighted with the support being shown from those at the very top of business, and we feel confident that with over 30 Chief Executives and business leaders on board Sport Relief 2012 will break records. Clearly we hope the competitive edge they show in the boardroom will rub off in the sporting arena and of course when it comes to fundraising.” 

The business executives will also be joined in their triathlon team by some of the best known names from the sporting world, with ex British Lion Austin Healey and 400m ex Olympian Roger Black completing the LeaderBoard Triathlon Challenge.

To help them through their gruelling training regimes, other stars will be on hand to provide advice and support on what it takes to compete at the very highest and most intense level. Amongst others,

Paula Radcliffe is going to provide training tips to help with endurance, whilst James Cracknell has given the team personal pep talks, and Michael Johnson will look to help them with their winning mentality. As part of their training they’ll also be taking part in the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile on Sunday 25 March.

Phil Smith, CEO of Cisco UK & Ireland, said:

“Sport Relief is an amazing campaign and the money raised goes to funding projects in the UK and across the world’s poorest countries, to help make a real difference to people and communities. The LeaderBoard Triathlon Challenge is a great opportunity for us to get involved and give something back, something I am particularly passionate about following my visit to a project supported by the charity in Malawi last year.

“Of course it’s also a great opportunity for us to put our bodies on the line and see just who is the fastest and the fittest in our trainers and shorts as opposed to in business.”

The Blenheim Triathlon will be take place in stunning grounds of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, on the 9th and 10^th June, 2012.

Comic Relief spends the cash raised through Sport Relief to help people in dire need: At home, Sport Relief cash gives comfort and help to vulnerable older people. It helps people in disadvantaged communities living with poor mental or physical health or a lack of job opportunities. And that’s just the start. Abroad, Sport Relief cash protects and supports children who live on the streets. It provides cost effective, life-saving healthcare and access to clean water for those who are too poor to pay for it. 

Cisco is a core technology partner of Comic Relief and helps power the technology infrastructure that allows the charity to process thousands of donations via the web and call centres during the flagship BBC broadcasts for Red Nose Day and Sport Relief each year.  Cisco employees have been fundraising for Comic Relief themselves for over 10 years.

For further information, and to support the LeaderBoard Triathlon Challenge team, visit the fundraising page:  http://www.sportrelief.com/leaderboard

For More Information Contact:

Clodagh Boyle / Tom Reast / Victoria Bonner at Kaizo PR

T: 020 3176 4704

E: LBC@kaizo.co.uk

About Sport Relief

As the nation celebrates the biggest ever year of sport, the entire country can join in the fun with Sport Relief 2012 from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th March. 

Over one million men, women and kids are expected to take part in the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile as they raise cash to change lives at home and across the world’s poorest countries.   And, with a whole weekend of top Sport Relief telly planned across the BBC, it’s all set to be huge.

From David Walliams’ Thames swim to Eddie Izzard’s 43 marathons in 51 days, Sport Relief has a unique history of brave celebrities taking on gruelling physical challenges to raise cash and change lives.  Sport Relief 2012 will be no exception with The BT Sport Relief challenges, a series of celebrity endurance feats. 

Visit sportrelief.com to keep up with the latest news.

LeaderBoard Challenge Team Members Include:  

Austin Healey –

 Rugby Player

Roger Black –

 Athlete

Kevin Cahill –

 Comic Relief

Phil Smith –

 Cisco

Stephen Leonard –

 IBM

Terry Watts –

 Proskills

Peter Searle –

 Adecco

Mark Kenealy –

 Orange

Steve Cooper –

 Barclays

Phil Doye –

 Kelway

Mick Buckley –

 MB Communications

John May  –

 The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award International Association

Dr Nerina Ramlakhan –

 Equilibrium Solutions & Capio Nightingale Hospital

Glen Manchester –

 Thunderhead

Val Feerick –

 Four6One

David Callaghan –

 Oracle

Paul Budge –

 Bunzl

Neil Muller –

 Computacentre

Stephen Bates –

 RIM

Neil Davis –

 Lookers

Tim Reddish –

 Paralympics GB

Ed Bracher –

 Riding for Disabled

Neil Pemberton –

 BTiNet

Joe Cerrell –

 Gates Foundation

Marc Jantzen –

 Blue Sky Performance Improvement  

Mike Danson –

 Touchbase

Terry Burt –

 2E2

Alastair Lukies –

 Monitise Group

James Kelly –

 Lorien

Steve Ingham –

 Michael Page International

Matthew Piercy –

 VMware