08 September 2025 - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced the appointment of three new directors over the next few months. Starting her role on 15 September, Ms Jan Paterson has been named as Chief of Staff in the Executive Office of the IOC President, Kirsty Coventry. Mr James Pearce, who joined the organisation on 1 September, has taken up the role of Chief Communications Advisor to the IOC President; while on 1 January 2026, Mr Julien Baehni will join the IOC and, following a transition period lasting until the end of March 2026, will succeed Mr Xavier Tissières as Human Resources Director.
The Olympic Movement has been at the heart of Ms Paterson’s career. She spent over two decades at the British Olympic Association, first as Chief of Staff and then as Director of Olympic Relations and CEO of the British Olympic Foundation. She is currently the Managing Director for Sport at NEOM in Saudi Arabia. Ms Paterson was also the Deputy Chef de Mission for Team GB at London 2012 and Chef de Mission for Team England at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Mr Pearce was formerly a BBC sports broadcaster and was the BBC’s Olympics Correspondent from 2001 to 2012. Since then, he has been leading his own communications consultancy.
Mr Baehni is currently Chief of Human Resources at UEFA, the governing body for European football, based in Nyon, Switzerland. After several years in the banking industry, he joined UEFA in 2009 and has led the Human Resources Department since 2012, taking overall responsibility for 850 employees.
“We warmly welcome Jan Paterson, James Pearce and Julien Baehni to our organisation. They bring a wealth of experience to the IOC in their respective fields, and we look forward to benefitting from their knowledge,” said IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper. “I would also like to extend my warmest thanks to Xavier Tissières for the excellent work he has accomplished during his long tenure at the IOC of almost 25 years.” Mr Tissières will continue to provide his knowledge and experience of the organisation to his successor until 30 June 2026.
Mr De Kepper also thanked the former Chief of Staff, Mr Marcus Hausen, who has left the organisation: “I would like to acknowledge the great work that Marcus Hausen has accomplished for the IOC during his tenure. I wish him well in his future endeavours.”
