Lemley steps down as Chair of Olympic Delivery Authority

Mr Lemley said: "It has been a privilege to chair the ODA for the last year and lead the organisation through its formative stages. The Board is now established along with its separate planning function. The Delivery Partner has been appointed and the ODA is ready to move to the next stage of its development. I am keen to return to the helm of my international construction consulting firm in America, which is increasingly busy with major contracts.

"I have every confidence that London will stage a superb Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012 and leave a legacy that the country can be proud of."

Tessa Jowell, Olympics Minister, said: "Jack has done much to help lay the foundations for success for the Olympic construction project over the last year. The ODA has made a strong start to its programme. The final site map for the Olympic Park has been published along with the timetable for the construction programme. With the Delivery Partner on board we now move to the next stage of the project - venue and infrastructure design. Jack has played a significant role in getting us to this point and helping ensure that Games and legacy are planned together. I am grateful to him for all he has done and wish him well in the future."

Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, said: "Jack has played an important role in helping London's transition from Candidate City to Host City for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games over the last year. He has given leadership and direction to the ODA during this period. I respect his decision to return to the US at this stage of the project and wish him every success."

Seb Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee, said: "Jack has been instrumental in defining the design and construction timelines that the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games project is based on. His creation of the 2-4-1 programme has driven the planning to date and helped finalise the Olympic Park plan six years before the Games which has given us clarity and confidence to move to the next stage of designing and constructing the venues."

Sir Roy McNulty, the ODA Board's Deputy Chairman, will lead the organisation as acting Chairman, working alongside David Higgins, Chief Executive, until a decision is made about a permanent successor.

Notes to Editors:

1. Jack Lemley was appointed as Chair of the Olympic Delivery Authority by Tessa Jowell in November 2005 and formally took up the post in March 2006 following Royal Assent of the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act.

2. From 1989 to 1993 Jack Lemley was Chief Executive of Transmanche-Link, the consortium of five British and five French companies responsible for constructing and equipping the Channel Tunnel, the largest privately-funded construction project in history. He has continued to run his own consultancy in the United States with many high-profile international contracts, including projects in Turkey, Cyprus and Venezuela.

3. The ODA is the single delivery body responsible for creating the venues and infrastructure for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2012

4. Sir Roy McNulty, who becomes acting Chair of the ODA, has been Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority since 2001. Previously he was Chairman of National Air Traffic Services (NATS) from 1999 to 2001, and prior to that he was Chief Executive and latterly Chairman of Shorts Brothers plc, the Belfast-based aerospace company. Sir Roy has also been President of the Society of British Aerospace Companies (1993-1994), and Chairman of the Department of Trade and Industry Aviation Committee (1995-1998).

ENDS