Services giant Serco Group has appointed Simon Bailey as the new managing director of its leisure business.

Bailey, an in-house appointment, has held a number of senior leadership positions at Serco since 2010. He will take over the running of Serco Leisure with immediate effect.

Serco Leisure operates more than 50 leisure facilities across the UK and employs around 3,000 staff.

Facilities managed by the company include the National Sports Centres, Bisham Abbey, Lilleshall, Stoke Mandeville Stadium, and the National Water Sports Centre at Holme Pierrepont Country Park. It also operates the London Cycle Hire Scheme on behalf of Transport for London.

"I look forward to the opportunities this new role brings and working with the different teams across Serco’s Leisure business," Bailey said.

"The company has room for growth and the plans I’ve seen for 2019 show a business with real ambition to seek out new areas of operations, while continuing to focus on the core work we do so well."