Zara Hyde Peters was a former elite distance runner ©UK Athletics

Zara Hyde Peters has been appointed the new chief executive of UK Athletics (UKA). 

The 56-year-old replaces Niels de Vos, who resigned in September 2018.

UK Athletics' strategy and partnerships director Nigel Holl had been in charge on an interim basis while the body searched for a successor. 

It is a return for Hyde Peters to UK Athletics, who worked for the national governing body between 2000 and 2008 in a number of roles.

These included head of potential, technical director for endurance and director of athlete development. 

A former elite distance runner, she represented England at the 1994 Commonwealth Games at Victoria, finishing 13th in the 10,000 metres. 

Hyde Peters left UK Athletics to become chief executive at British Triathlon, a role she held between 2008 and 2014.

It was a period marked by a big growth in participation and Britain winning its first ever Olympic medals in the sport, with Alistair Brownlee taking gold and his brother Jonathan the bronze in the men's race. 

Zara Hyde Peters, third from left, was formerly chief executive at British Triathlon, where she oversaw a successful period for the sport and helped increase participation ©Sports Industry Awards
Zara Hyde Peters, third from left, was formerly chief executive at British Triathlon, where she oversaw a successful period for the sport and helped increase participation ©Sports Industry Awards

Hyde Peters is currently managing director at North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group, part of the United Kingdom's National Health Service.

But she retained close links with sport as a member of the Board at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. 

"I’m delighted to be returning to the sport I love and to do so as chief executive of UK Athletics is a massive honour," Hyde Peters said. 

"It is an exciting time for the sport. 

"We have a huge opportunity to build on recent successes and I’m excited about being part of the team helping to realise that potential and cement our reputation as a leader in world athletics."

Chris Clark, who became UK Athletics' chair in June, said: "We are thrilled Zara has accepted the offer to be UKA's next CEO.

"Our sport has a fantastic heritage and a bright future and with [the 2019 International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships in] Doha and [World Para Athletics Championships] Dubai 2019 and [Olympic Games and Paralympics] Tokyo 2020 we have some exciting events to look forward to. 

"The Board and executive team recognise that there is much work to do."