Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton Welcomes Patrick Jarvis as Interim Chief Executive Officer
CALGARY—Internationally respected sport and business leader, Patrick Jarvis, has been named interim chief executive officer of Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton, the Board of Directors announced on Tuesday.
Over the next three months, Jarvis will help shape a new vision for the future of the sport organization while providing operational stability and creating a supportive culture that ensures wellness for all participants including athletes, coaches, staff, Board members, volunteers and officials.
“Working with our national sport partners, it has been our top priority at Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton to rebuild a culture of respect, kindness and fairness while delivering the critical resources our athletes and coaches need to train and compete safely on the field of play. Additionally, we are committed to ensuring our dedicated staff have the leadership support they require to achieve our collective long term operational and performance goals in a fun and enjoyable environment,” said Tara McNeil, president, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton.
“Patrick’s willingness to take on this short-term contract is the first step forward towards laying the foundation for the development of a more promising future. He is a highly-motivated, passionate, decisive and pragmatic leader who brings the energy, drive, and experience required to provide the important operational leadership our community needs and deserves.”
A Paralympian in the sport of athletics, Jarvis’ competitive experiences have been an asset for his successful career in sport management. A proven performer throughout his career, Jarvis understands the challenges and opportunities facing a national sport organization in Canada.
Starting in 2015, he served over three years as executive director at Canada Snowboard where he led the rebuild of the governing body for the sport of snowboarding in Canada, and set the organization up for long-term success.
Amongst his many other leadership positions, Jarvis was the president of the Canadian Paralympic Committee from 1998-2006 and was the Canadian Team’s chef de mission in Nagano 1998. His extensive sport administrative experience has been garnered through numerous roles within a variety of committees and boards. Jarvis was a Board Member for Vancouver-Whistler 2010 Games and served on the IPC Board of Governors from 2005-17.
“I look forward to bringing my experience and skillset to help identify Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton’s strengths and opportunities, build trust and relationships, and provide recommendations to support the organization in establishing a strong foundation for the creation of a more promising future,” said Jarvis, who received the Leadership in Sport Award at the 2005 Canadian Sport Awards and Order of Canada in 2010 in recognition for his outstanding leadership contribution in sport.
“Success does not happen in isolation, it absolutely requires a team approach to get the job done. We have a tremendous amount of work ahead of us, but we also have an extremely passionate community who all need to work together within a culture of respect and purpose to build our programs back and deliver the resources our athletes, coaches and staff need to achieve their performance and operational goals. I look forward to fully engaging the stakeholders, listening intently, to help guide our planning. ”
Based in Calgary, Jarvis will begin work immediately through to the end of May.
Bobsleigh CANADA Skeleton is a non-profit organization and the national governing body for the sports of bobsleigh and skeleton in Canada. With the support of its valued corporate partners – Karbon and Joe Rocket Canada – along with the Government of Canada, Own the Podium and the Canadian Olympic Committee, Bobsleigh CANADA Skeleton develops Olympic and world champions. Please visit us at www.bobsleighcanadaskeleton.ca.