In a recent press release the Accelerator Centre announced the appointment of a new CEO. Tim Jackson will be joining the AC team on March 1, 2010.

The news has definitely created a buzz. Everyone seems to be talking, blogging and tweeting about it. I can't say I'm surprised by the amount of interest as both Tim Jackson and the Accelerator Centre are very high profile and both seem to get their share of press.

What does this mean for the AC and the current team? I've had the good fortune of working closely with Tim in the past and I also sit on a couple of boards with Tim, so I think I have a good idea of what we can expect. Tim is a "what you see is what you get" guy, no hidden agenda to worry about. Tim is a straight forward, no nonsense leader. He empowers staff to make decisions, and in fact, expects it. Tim encourages people to take risks and try new things. When mistakes/failures (little ones) occur, Tim is supportive and helps to take corrective measures. In my opinion, he is the perfect leader.

I think I can speak for the entire AC team when I say, we're very excited to have the opportunity to work with Tim Jackson and to take the Accelerator Centre to new levels!