Bristol City Council has appointed Kris Donaldson to the high-profile job of programme director of European Green Capital 2015, a role in which he will lead the city’s programme of events, secure substantial private sponsorship and make the most of the economic and environmental opportunities the year will offer.
Mr Donaldson, who has been in the role on an interim basis, worked on Liverpool City Council’s celebrations as European Capital of Culture and the Sydney Olympics. The job is understood to have a salary of £100,000.
Liverpool’s 2008 Capital of Culture year gave it a greatly enhanced profile and huge economic boost, attracting more than 15m cultural visitors. It was described as ‘the best ever’ by the European Commission president José Manuel Barroso. 
Yesterday Mr Donaldson, pictured wth Bristol Mayor George Ferguson, told a meeting of the Bristol Green Capital Partnership: “I have fallen in love with this city.”
Mr Ferguson said: “European Green Capital is one of Bristol’s greatest opportunities and I wanted to find the best person in the world to run it. I’m confident that Kris is that person.
“We must raise millions for Bristol and the result of this work, led by Kris, should be thousands of local jobs further down the line. In appointing this role I am making an absolute investment in Bristol’s future.
“Kris will be running a separate company with a broadly-based board, reflecting the fact that this award belongs to the whole city. He will be tasked with making the absolute most of European Green Capital, which is the best investment you could possibly have in the city.
“In this difficult financial climate we have all the more responsibility to invest wisely and to make sure that we create jobs in other sectors. The environment sector is one of our best opportunities and in Kris we have the right person to capitalise on it.”
Mr Donaldson, who has British, American and Australian citizenship following as a result of his international career, said: “Bristol’s year as European Green Capital is a huge opportunity to attract investment, business and tourism to the city, the region and indeed the country. I’m incredibly pleased to accept the role and I’m looking forward to making the absolute most of 2015.
“Not only will we stage an exciting programme of events for 2015 that will involve every community in Bristol, but we’ll showcase the city as a true world leader for green business and sustainability. We’ll approach the year with a sense of fun, but behind that will be a rock solid commitment to use it as a chance to create new jobs and improve people’s lives.”
He will run the independent Bristol Green Capital company which has been set up by the council. The company will be chaired by Kevin McCloud.
It will be responsible for all aspects of achieving a successful, memorable year as European Green Capital. The year will be much more than its range of national and international conferences and events, working towards long lasting boosts in trade, employment and environmental progress in Bristol.
Mr Donaldson’s appointment has been welcomed by the Bristol Green Capital Partnership, whose chair Martin Bigg, Professor of Environmental Technologies Innovation at the University of the West of England, was involved in the recruitment and selection process.
He said: “We in the Bristol Green Capital Partnership warmly welcome the appointment of Kris Donaldson as Programme Director for European Green Capital 2015. We very much look forward to working with Kris in the development and delivery of an exciting programme for Bristol in 2015 which will embed Bristol as the leading global green city.”
Highlights of the 2015 programme will be announced in mid-2014, with the full programme being revealed in autumn 2014.
