Professor Pete Bonfield, a materials engineer who currently serves as the vice-chancellor and president of the University of Westminster, will take over as the new chief executive of British Cycling in November, the governing body confirmed on Monday.
Bonfield replaces Jon Dutton as British Cycling’s CEO, after Dutton took up the same position at the British Olympic Association in July. Lee Gibbons will continue as interim chief executive until Bonfield’s arrival in the middle of November.
A former racer, Bonfield was a national circuit race champion as a juvenile and represented Great Britain at the junior world championships before later forming part of the national senior road squad. He’s also coached at elite level, overseeing Great Britain’s women’s triathlon squad at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Between 2006 and 2012, Bonfield worked part-time with the Olympic Delivery Authority, helping to co-create and deliver the London 2012 Sustainability Strategy.
This involved working on the development of a range of Olympics-related construction products, including the velodrome and cycling facilities within the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, while also focusing on the sustainable procurement of products. A touring and commuter cyclist, Bonfield has spoken in the past about his daily cycle to work.
Professionally, Bonfield has served as president of both the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. He’s also conducted five independent reviews for the UK government and was a senior independent director at ukactive, the UK’s trade body for fitness and leisure facilities.
He is currently a professor of engineering and sustainable development at the University of Westminster, where he was appointed vice-chancellor in 2018.
“Following a rigorous recruitment process, we are delighted to appoint Pete as British Cycling’s next Chief Executive,” British Cycling chair Chris Pilling said.
“Pete is an accomplished and values-driven leader with a strong track record of leading complex organisations, building partnerships, and delivering meaningful change.
“His leadership experience, strategic vision and understanding of the opportunities facing sport and physical activity make him exceptionally well placed to lead British Cycling into its next chapter. We look forward to welcoming him to the organisation in November.
“I would also like to place on record my sincere thanks to Lee Gibbons for his exceptional contribution as Interim Chief Executive. Lee has led the organisation with great energy, skill and integrity during this period and has provided stability and momentum across a number of important priorities.”
In a statement issued by British Cycling, Bonfield said: “I am delighted to be joining British Cycling at such an exciting time for the sport. Cycling has been a constant throughout my life, whether through racing, commuting, coaching or simply enjoying the freedom that a bike provides, and it is a privilege to have the opportunity to lead the national governing body for a sport that gives so much to so many people in diverse ways’.
“British Cycling has an exceptional track record of supporting riders at every level, from local clubs and community programmes through to inspiring success on the world stage.
“With the opportunities ahead for our sport, I am looking forward to working with colleagues, members, volunteers, athletes, partners and sponsors to build on those strong foundations and help shape the next chapter for cycling in Britain.”
Bonfield will take up the role in mid-November as the permanent successor to Jon Dutton, whose three years leading British Cycling were marked by turbulence and saw the governing body’s membership plummet by over 20,000.
Dutton, a former director of readiness for the 2014 Tour de France’s Grand Départ was appointed to the role in April 2023, following the sudden resignation of former CEO Brian Facer. Facer’s spell in charge was dogged by controversies, particularly surrounding British Cycling’s transgender participation policy and its sponsorship deal with oil giant Shell, a divisive partnership that will pose an interesting challenge for the incoming Bonfield, given his sustainability credentials.
In the wake of these controversies, Dutton’s tenure was marked by a sharp drop in membership numbers for the governing body, which fell from 137,968 in March 2023, the month before his appointment, to 117,475 in March 2025.
Nevertheless, last December, British Cycling reported a 1.6 per cent increase in membership income over the previous year, while revenue from sponsorship and rights fees increased by £2.8m.
That same month, the governing body announced that it is hiring consultants to secure new “strategic investment partners” as part of a business shake-up that will see its commercial interests and events portfolio transferred into a new company, British Cycling Ventures, which now organises the men’s and women’s Tours of Britain.
Dutton’s time as CEO also saw the creation of the British Cycling Foundation, the governing body’s new charitable wing, as well as an elite road racing taskforce, chaired by triple Olympic champion Ed Clancy and tasked with revitalising the nation’s flagging domestic scene.
And in March 2025, British Cycling launched a new four-year plan, described as the governing body’s “most ambitious strategy to date”, which aims to reinforce Britain’s position as a “world-leading cycling nation” and deliver an “unprecedented contribution to society, health, and the economy”.
The governing body said the plan will support and grow the sport by making cycling more diverse and inclusive, to lead on the world stage by “winning well”, and to use cycling as a catalyst for positive social change and tackle inequalities.
A veteran of the London Olympics, Bonfield, meanwhile, will have next year’s historic double Tour de France Grands Départs on the agenda, as cycling’s biggest race – in both its men’s and women’s iterations – returns to the UK for the first time in 13 years.
