Fora meet Mark Osikoya, Team England

Decorative image — Career lessons with Mark Osikoya
CEO of Team England and Fora member Mark Osikoya shares what he’s learned about leading through change.
Written by
Jack Stanley

Just a few months after joining Commonwealth Games England, taking his first Chief Executive role in the process, Mark Osikoya was plunged into uncharted waters. The Australian state of Victoria pulled out of hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games and – for the first time since the Second World War – it seemed like the games might be cancelled. Over the next 11 months, a solution was sought, with Glasgow now confirmed to host the games and Osikoya able to return to something approaching normality.

Osikoya took on the role with Commonwealth Games England after a long career in the sports industry, including sponsorship and marketing roles at the Football Association, the 2012 Olympic Games and the NBA. The disruption of his early months in the role was a rude awakening, but one that taught him about his style of leadership, his organisation and the industry more widely. “We were all in that situation when other people weren’t,” he says. “The adversity of what’s happened over the past year has brought the Commonwealth sport movement together.”

Here, Osikoya discusses his ideas for the future of the Commonwealth Games, what sport can teach businesses and everything he learnt from the tumultuous start to his new role.

1. Things change, and you have to adapt

I joined an organisation that was heading in one direction to deliver against an event that was confirmed in the diary in Australia. Four months later everything changed with the withdrawal of Australia from hosting 2026 games. It’s important to react and work through significant upheaval and not get frustrated that things aren’t moving forward. I can look at the fact that we still have an organisation and a team, that we still exist. That’s an achievement in itself, given what we’ve been through over the past 12 to 18 months. You might have a list of things you want to do in the first year or two of a new role, but if everything changes externally, it’s not a failure if you don’t tick everything off the list.

2. In my role there’s a lot of variety and that’s why I like it

I’m stretched and challenged in a lot of different directions.I really enjoy it. It’s probably the most varied selection of responsibilities I’ve had in any of the roles I’ve done. It’s new to me, but I’m learning and I’m enjoying it.

3. There’s a lot that you can learn from playing sport that you can bring into business

The importance of teamwork, everyone coming together, understanding what the ultimate goal is and trying to work towards the same thing. In sport there’s the idea of working through and trying to get through adversities, because you’re not always going to win, which is important to apply to the world of business too.

"I don’t think it’s a bad thing for people to be passionate about what they’re working on. That’s something I always encourage."
Mark OsikoyaCEO, Team England

4. The Commonwealth Games has got to change if we want it to survive long term

It’s got to be distinct from the Olympics and it’s got to be something that places other than just Australia and the Home Nations can host. It’s got to be smaller, it’s got to be adaptable, it’s got to be much less of a burden for a host nation. We want the games to be hosted by as many different countries as possible; we want it to go to Africa, we want it to go to India. That means looking at the Games’ model and making it more flexible.

5. You spend a lot of your time working, so you want to be enthused by it

I don’t think it’s a bad thing for people to be passionate about what they’re working on. That’s something I always encourage. I want everyone to feel enthused about what they’re doing. The idea of having challenges, knowing where you can go and where you can grow to, is so important.

6. Transparency, honesty and openness are a big thing for me

I’ve struggled with this at other places I’ve worked. Collaborating and working as a team are also important. We’re small enough that we have to be like that, I don’t think there’s any other way that we could operateif we want to be successful. I think communicating well and having good channels of communication both ways is also crucial. If we didn’t have that it just wouldn’t work.

7. If you lead an organisation you have to be comfortable with the fact that you haven’t always got answers

When you’re at the top people are looking to you for answers and to set the direction. Coming into this role, I’d always assumed that someone leading an organisation would know everything and have solutions straight away. But actually, I think acknowledging what you don’t know isn’t a weakness. It's something that people value. What we’ve been through at Commonwealth Games England, we’ve all been through together – and we’re all in the same boat. I suppose it’s about not trying to bluff your way through, which is easier said than done. Hopefully, I’ve done that.

8. From two weeks in at Fora, it felt like we’d never been anywhere else

We’re asking our team to come into the office for two or three days a week, but they are in more than they’re not. They like the idea of flexible working here, they like the workspace itself. Plus, when you come into the building there are always other people around. That buzz and the feeling that you’re in an environment where people are working means there’s a vibrancy to the place.

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