The Olympics have always been a bastion of athleticism and the triumph of human spirit, but only in recent years have they also become a tremendous focus for the generation and distribution of raw information. The recent Beijing games drew an unprecedented number of global viewers consuming video both online and by traditional means; and beyond the video there was a glut of raw statistical information being distributed 24/7 to hungry enthusiasts and news outlets alike. And this was from China, where fears over state censorship had a chilling effect on the amount and types of information being distributed. In London there will be no such compunctions, and the amount of information and of consumers is sure to expand again.

For such an event, it stands to reason that you need a CIO, and the London Summer games coming up in 2012 now have one in the form of former Cooperative Financial Services Executive Gerry Pennell.

Lest you think the jump from financial services firm to global athletic event come as too much of a shock for Pennell, he served prior to that as the director of technology for the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth games, making him one of the very few people who have experience running the technology infrastructure at a major athletic event.