NEW Ipswich Town chief Simon Clegg has an extensive skill base acquired over two varying careers.

NEW Ipswich Town chief Simon Clegg has an extensive skill base acquired over two varying careers.

In 1988, at the age of 28, he was promoted as one of the youngest majors in the British Army, having joined as a private soldier, before leaving to follow a career in sports leadership and administration a year later.

His final tour of duty was with the now Colchester based 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery.

He has since become one of the UK's most experienced international sports leaders after joining the British Olympic Association (BOA) in 1989 as Deputy General Secretary, before being appointed as the BOA's first Chief Executive in 1997.

He has led British athletes to 12 Olympic Games (summer and winter) including overseeing Britain's most successful Olympic Games in 100 years at Beijing in 2008.

In his time with the BOA, Clegg was widely credited with transforming the sports body into one of the world's leading National Olympic Committees (NOCs), increasing turnover by 500% from �3m in 1997 to in excess of �15m last year.

The BOA is one of the very few NOCs that receives no government or lottery funding with all revenue being generated by extensive commercial activity or fund raising.

His introduction to high performance sport was as a competitive cross country and biathlon skier, going on to manage the British Biathlon team in the 1984/5 season.

He was awarded the OBE in 2001 for management of Team GB at the Sydney Olympics, Team GB's most successful performance since 1920 and four years later was made a CBE for his contribution to London's successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics.

He left the BOA in December 2008 and after exploring a number of opportunities, he has agreed to accept the offer from club owner Marcus Evans to become the new chief executive at Ipswich Town.