Ruth Hollis OBE

Ruth is Chief Executive of Spirit of 2012, a charity set up in 2013 with £47 million by the National Lottery Community Fund to invest in projects which continue the pride, positivity and inspiration of the London 2012 Games and the way it helped people feel better about themselves, others and their communities. She has been with Spirit since it was founded and became Chief Executive in 2019. Over the past 12 years Spirit of 2012 has used the momentum of events, starting with the London 2012 Games, as catalysts for social change. Their work across sport, the arts and volunteering has demonstrated how legacy programmes can move beyond engaging those that we know will be inspired by a major event, targeting and engaging those that might face the greatest barriers to participation, but for whom the benefit is the greatest.

Spirit also commissions new research into ways to optimise events for long term impact for people and communities and in 2021 published an Inquiry into the Power of Events setting out 5 recommendations to help the UK deliver world-class long-term impacts from events. In 2025 Ruth was proud to be awarded an OBE in the King’s New Years Honours List for her contribution to sport, the arts and volunteering.