Following a competitive open recruitment process, the parkrun Board of Trustees has announced Elizabeth Duggan as permanent Chief Executive Officer.
Elizabeth, known as Lil, joined parkrun following a decade at Active Surrey, and has been serving as Interim CEO since April 2025. According to park run… ‘In that time she has already overseen significant progress including new hires in the digital and governance space, and most recently the acquisition of the popular ‘5k’ app.
‘Under her interim leadership parkrun has experienced record breaking growth both in the UK and internationally. Lil describes this time as hugely exciting and rewarding and is delighted to continue in a permanent capacity.’
Duggan said “I’m so excited and honoured to be stepping into the role of permanent CEO at parkrun. Leading in the interim has shown me just how much potential we have – not just to grow, but to deepen our impact. There’s an incredible opportunity ahead to bring even more people into the global parkrun community, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together.”
Helen Weir, Chair of the parkrun Global Board, on behalf of the trustees, said “We’re thrilled that Lil has accepted the permanent CEO position at parkrun global. During her time as Interim CEO Lil has demonstrated inspiring leadership, providing both stability and vision during this time of transition and change for the organisation.
“She has proven her passion for the power of parkrun, and its aim to change more lives, and make a difference in even more communities around the world. We congratulate Lil on her appointment, and look forward to working alongside her, and the rest of the Senior Leadership Team, as parkrun moves into this ambitious new era.”
Paul Sinton-Hewitt, Founder of parkrun, said “I’m absolutely delighted that Elizabeth Duggan has been appointed as our Global CEO of parkrun and confirm my continued support.
“Over the past six months in the interim role, Elizabeth has shown remarkable leadership, building on the incredible work that has gone before, engaging deeply with our communities, and strengthening the bonds that make parkrun so special. Her vision and focus have already begun to align our organisation with our North Star: enabling healthier, happier communities through participation and volunteering.
“I’m confident that under Elizabeth’s leadership, parkrun’s best days are still to come. My sincere thanks to the global board for ensuring that this process not only delivered the best possible outcome, but also that our team was fully supported throughout.”
