Tim Foster

Executive MBA 2013
MBE

Before coming to Keble, Tim had been an international rower for 14 years—winning 9 World Championship and 2 Olympic medals, including gold in Sydney 2000 in an event that still makes the Top 10 in a list of GB’s greatest Olympic moments. On his retirement as an athlete, Tim went on to coach the GB rowing team and was Head Coach of the Swiss team across a total of 3 Olympiads up until the London Olympics 2012.

Tim signed up for the Executive MBA in 2013, with the intention of broadening his horizons and making the most of college life. On his arrival at Keble, Tim enthusiastically volunteered his services to the boat club, only to be told very politely that “Keble already had a crew for this year”. Undeterred by the obvious high standard of the College team and having been “Robin Geffen(ed)” on a phone call, while sitting in the dollhouse chairs in Jenny Tudge’s office, Tim did manage to make the College M1 the next year, and thus started an association that lasts until this day.

Tim currently mixes his work coaching professional football managers from the Premier League, WSL, and EFL, with coaching the Keble M1 for Summer Eights. Despite 10 years of experience at Keble, Tim still hasn’t worked out how 5th week Trinity fits into the universally accepted calendar, or how highly impressive students with PhDs forget how to count to 10 once they are in a rowing boat!

A final and serious note, for anybody who has read this far, is that Tim is very happy to help encourage the fantastic individuals that he meets at Keble and add to the experience of Keble College life and sport. It is an experience that he was undoubtedly able to enjoy during his own association with the College, one he hopes many others can benefit from, and one he still relishes as much as ever.