team principal. The period of stability which Purnell had striven to achieve at Jaguar was short-lived however. By 7 January 2005 it had been announced that F3000 team owner Christian Horner would succeed him as principal and he left the team. Numerous rumors surfaced linking Purnell to other Formula One teams, but in December 2006 it was announced that Purnell would return to the sport as a technical consultant to the governing body, the FIA. In addition to his FIA role he held the position of Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor at the Engineering Department of Cambridge University and became a Fellow Commoner of Trinity Hall College. In 2010, Purnell left the FIA and became part of the IndyCar Series' ICONIC committee which chose new engine and chassis specifications for the 2012 season. Cycling career In May 2013 Purnell joined British Cycling as head of its much-vaunted "Secret Squirrel Club" responsible for technical development, succeeding Chris Boardman. At the time he was a keen racing cyclist competing in UK events. The 2016 Rio Olympic Games was a notable success for the GB cycling team with six gold, four silver and two bronze medals. Perhaps more significantly (from a technical point of view) was the tally of World and Olympic records for all velodrome events against the clock. In September 2017 The Royal Academy of Engineering announced that Purnell had been awarded a Fellowship. Personal life Purnell is married to Alison and has two children, Lucy and Oliver. References 1958 births Living people MIT School of Engineering alumni Kennedy Scholarships MIT Sloan School of Management alumni Fellows of Trinity Hall, Cambridge English businesspeople Formula One team principals Jaguar in Formula One