British Cycling has launched the search for its new chief executive to replace Ian Drake who will leave in April after a 20 year career with the organisation.

The sport's governing body has specified that it is looking for “an outstanding leader who will harness full responsibility for driving business growth, increased participation and ensuring effective governance of an internationally renowned sporting organisation”.

British Cycling is looking for a “highly visible” leader who will “inspire the delivery of world class performance in all areas”. The candidate brief states that the ideal post holder will be “an exceptional board level executive who has created a high performing consumer focused business, achieved financially sustainable growth and has a track record of ensuring first class service delivery to multiple stakeholders.

Commenting on the role, British Cycling’s president Bob Howden said:

“It’s a very exciting time for British Cycling with a ground-breaking partnership with HSBC UK beginning next year and the start of a fresh four year cycle in the run up to Tokyo. The organisation’s membership is at 130,000 - its highest ever level - and the appetite for cycling shows no signs of slowing.

“This is an incredible opportunity for an innovative, inspirational leader to come on board and drive further results across all levels of the sport.”