Andy Anson

Andrew Edward Anson (born ) is a British businessman primarily known for his work in the sports and media industries. He is the CEO of Sportscape Group – an e-commerce business which runs online, off-price retail specialists SportPursuit and Private Sport Shop. Prior to joining, Anson was the CEO of the British Olympic Association, where he spent six years.

Andrew Edward Anson (born ) is a British businessman primarily known for his work in the sports and media industries. He is the CEO of Sportscape Group – an e-commerce business which runs online, off-price retail specialists SportPursuit and Private Sport Shop. Prior to joining, Anson was the CEO of the British Olympic Association, where he spent six years.

Early life

The son of a bank manager, Anson was born at the Boundary Park Hospital in Oldham, Lancashire, and grew up in nearby Rochdale. He began playing football at a young age and, despite being a fan of Manchester United, played for Manchester City's schoolboys team after being spotted in a game for the Oulder Hill School team. He did not pursue football as a professional career and earned a place at Exeter College, Oxford, where he attained a second-class degree in mathematics, sharing a tutorial with child genius Ruth Lawrence at one stage. He continued to play football at university, however, and eventually earned his Blue.

Career

After leaving Oxford, Anson returned to the north-west of England to work for Andersen Consulting, where he represented various clients, including North West Water. However, in the early 1990s, he left Andersen to enrol on a Master of Business Administration (MBA) course at INSEAD in Fontainebleau. To cope with the costs of attending INSEAD, Anson returned to consulting at the end of the course, working for the Kalchas Group. However, he was soon headhunted by The Walt Disney Company, and he moved to Los Angeles for three-and-a-half years, working for Disney's consumer products division. In this capacity, he was responsible for the licensing of all clothes and toys for the company. During Anson's time in the consumer products division, the company generated $7 billion in revenue, and he was promoted to the position of chief financial officer. At the end of his time with Disney, Anson returned to the UK, where he took a position as Channel 4's Head of Strategic Planning. He later became the managing director of Channel 4 Interactive. While at Channel 4, Anson was heavily involved in the launch of its sister channel, E4. In 2002, Anson left Channel 4 to work at the London office of management consulting firm, OC&C Strategy Consultants, becoming a partner in the company, responsible for Media and Entertainment. Anson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to sport, particularly during COVID-19.

England 2018

In 2008, Anson was named as the chief executive of England 2018 Ltd, the company behind The Football Association's bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He began work in his new position on 1 January 2009 and remained in the position until the company dissolved in 2011 following the unsuccessful bid results. The England 2018 bid received recognition as the best all round technical bid However, England lost out to Russia in a process beset by corruption, leading to Anson criticising FIFA president Sepp Blatter for influencing the members of the committee that voted on the World Cup hosts against the English bid.

Lancashire County Cricket Club

Anson was appointed chair of Lancashire County Cricket Club in 2020 after the death of David Hodgkiss from COVID. Anson's appointment was ratified at the 2021 AGM. In 2024, Anson was re-elected to the Board for a further three-year term, but at a board meeting held on 7th July 2025 announced his intention to resign following that summer's England v India test at Old Trafford.

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1345309891 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.