David Bedford has been appointed executive director of Commonwealth Games Canada ©Linkedin

Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) has announced the appointments of a new executive director for Team Canada 2018 and manager of international programmes as they prepare for Gold Coast 2018. 

David Bedford will take on the position as executive director in his role as owner and President of Sizzle Communications, which he relaunched this year in January.

Before that, Bedford was the senior vice-president, business operations at Canadian Football League team Toronto Argonauts Football Club.

He also has wide experience in the Olympic Movement having been executive director of marketing and communications at the Canadian Olympic Committee for five years between 2005 and 2010.

Prior to that, Bedford was vice-president of Olympic marketing at IMG based in New York City. 

Bedford will play a key role in helping CGC prepare for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Cold Coast.

Canada finished third at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, winning a total of 32 gold medals, their best performance for 24 years in an event held outside their home country ©Getty Images
Canada finished third at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, winning a total of 32 gold medals, their best performance for 24 years in an event held outside their home country ©Getty Images

Canada finished third in the overall medals table at the last Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.

They won a total of 82 medals, including 32 gold, their highest total at a Games outside Canada since Auckland in 1990. 

Bedford will be joined at CGC by David King, who has taken on the role as manager of international programmes.

He has lived and worked on three continents and traveled to more than 50 countries.

He has fundraised for, and visited, development projects in Tanzania, Kenya, and Lesotho, and volunteered with two international development organisations.