Sir Robin Young – the former permanent secretary of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) – has been appointed as the co-chair of the London 2017 World Championships.

Young will oversee the delivery of the athletics championships alongside co-chair Ed Warner, the UK Athletics chief.

After spending time at the DCMS between 1998 and 2001, Young went to work at the Department for Trade and Industry in the subsequent four years, but left the public sector in 2005.

Young will be joined by five new non-executive directors who have been appointed following the decision to scale back UK Athletics’ role in the delivery of the event.

Wasps Rugby chief executive David Armstrong, Jockey Club chief executive Simon Bazalgette, Madison Muir Group managing director Liz McMahon, Arsenal FC chief commercial officer Vinai Venkatesham and UK Sport chief operating officer Simon Morton have been appointed to the posts.

Young said the board was of the “highest possible calibre” and were “united behind agreed governance structures, budgets and operating plans”.