KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA
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22/05/2015
The 7th IOC Athlete Career Programme
(ACP) Forum, which aims to share best practices on supporting athletes
worldwide with their career transitions, will be held in Lima, Peru,
from 26 to 28 May.
The Forum will bring together athletes, members of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, NOCs
and Adecco representatives, to exchange knowledge and experience on how
best to support athletes with balancing dual careers and preparing
post-sport careers.
One of the speakers will be former Team USA swimmer and Olympic gold medallist Dan Ketchum, who now works for Worldwide TOP Partner GE as an Operations Leader within the Aviation division. Ketchum will be speaking on a panel about athlete engagement with sponsors, as well as participating in an Athlete Learning Gateway live event focused on athletes in the workplace.
Ketchum said: “I am very excited to be taking part in the IOC ACP Forum. When I finished my career as an athlete, there was little assistance provided to make the transition into the workplace, so I believe the IOC’s Athlete Career Programme will be a great support for other athletes in the future. I want to be able to share the experience and the challenges I faced once my sporting career finished. The IOC is focused on putting athletes at the heart of the Olympic Movement, and, as a former athlete, I believe that there is a lot that GE and I can offer.”
Ketchum competed at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and was part of the winning US team in the men`s 4x200m freestyle relay. Dan joined GE in 2005 as an intern, then a year later transitioned to GE’s Operations Management Leadership Programme. He has had held several positions in fulfilment, customer service and manufacturing programmes, and currently manages a manufacturing facility for aircraft engines. Dan also spent two years as a high-school swimming coach.
As an advanced technology and services company, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. Since 2006, 17 Olympians have enjoyed careers with GE following their sports career. These athletes work in a wide range of roles across GE. The company is currently planning additional opportunities with the IOC, and the ACP Forum in Peru will be a focal point in the development of how the business can play a long-term role in supporting the IOC’s Athlete Career Programme.
Chris Katsuleres, Director of Olympic Marketing at GE, said: “As a business, we benefit from the attributes that made the Olympians successful in their athletic careers. Their unique backgrounds and traits, like motivation, focus, drive and determination, are a huge benefit in the work place. Working with the IOC ACP, we are very interested in looking at opportunities that we can provide to athletes in the future through enhanced leadership and management training. We have the world-renowned GE training facility at Crotonville in the USA, and we are interested at looking at how we can use this facility to help transfer athletes’ unique skills and assets into the labour market.”
One of the speakers will be former Team USA swimmer and Olympic gold medallist Dan Ketchum, who now works for Worldwide TOP Partner GE as an Operations Leader within the Aviation division. Ketchum will be speaking on a panel about athlete engagement with sponsors, as well as participating in an Athlete Learning Gateway live event focused on athletes in the workplace.
Ketchum said: “I am very excited to be taking part in the IOC ACP Forum. When I finished my career as an athlete, there was little assistance provided to make the transition into the workplace, so I believe the IOC’s Athlete Career Programme will be a great support for other athletes in the future. I want to be able to share the experience and the challenges I faced once my sporting career finished. The IOC is focused on putting athletes at the heart of the Olympic Movement, and, as a former athlete, I believe that there is a lot that GE and I can offer.”
Ketchum competed at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and was part of the winning US team in the men`s 4x200m freestyle relay. Dan joined GE in 2005 as an intern, then a year later transitioned to GE’s Operations Management Leadership Programme. He has had held several positions in fulfilment, customer service and manufacturing programmes, and currently manages a manufacturing facility for aircraft engines. Dan also spent two years as a high-school swimming coach.
As an advanced technology and services company, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. Since 2006, 17 Olympians have enjoyed careers with GE following their sports career. These athletes work in a wide range of roles across GE. The company is currently planning additional opportunities with the IOC, and the ACP Forum in Peru will be a focal point in the development of how the business can play a long-term role in supporting the IOC’s Athlete Career Programme.
Chris Katsuleres, Director of Olympic Marketing at GE, said: “As a business, we benefit from the attributes that made the Olympians successful in their athletic careers. Their unique backgrounds and traits, like motivation, focus, drive and determination, are a huge benefit in the work place. Working with the IOC ACP, we are very interested in looking at opportunities that we can provide to athletes in the future through enhanced leadership and management training. We have the world-renowned GE training facility at Crotonville in the USA, and we are interested at looking at how we can use this facility to help transfer athletes’ unique skills and assets into the labour market.”
