As he settles into the chief executive’s seat at Cycling Industries Europe, Paul Walsh identifies bike leasing and cycling tourism as potential options for the European bicycle industry to pursue growth.
The Irishman is taking over from Kevin Mayne, who led the Brussels-based organization between 2019 and his retirement at the end of last year. Walsh had previously been working with associations for the last 12 years, the last nine of them at the European Business Aviation Association.
“I’m very familiar with how to present a significant industry to policy and stakeholders, how to shape the narrative of an industry,” said Walsh, who has also worked as secretary general of the European Association of Innovation Consultants.
Under Mayne’s tenure, CIE helped to get plenty of resources flowing into cycling infrastructure. Among its most significant achievements was last year’s European Declaration on Cycling, and the industry’s recognition in the Mobility Transition Pathway. Since then, European parliamentary elections have led to the appointment of a new European Commission and a shift in the European Union’s approach to business, concentrating more strongly on competitivity. That includes more support for industrial development and simpler environmental rules.
Walsh reckons that the stated ambition to grow the industry by one million jobs by 2030 remains achievable. “The work that has been done already, both in the declaration and in the mobility transition pathway, gives us a basis that we can really build on,” he said.
The chief executive emphasized that the cycling industry has many assets for European advocacy, as a relatively sustainable mode of transport and a sector with strong industrial potential. “What we have to recognize is that, in this current mandate of the Commission and the Parliament, we’re looking at a focus on industrial development and industry preservation, and that’s going to be very advantageous for us, because what we have is an already existing industry,” Walsh added. “It’s not that we need to create or build an industry. It’s just about maximizing this industry.” Sustainability should remain a priority for the organization, but at the same time it should “help to shape legislation to open new markets or grow existing markets.”
Since he assumed the leadership in May, Walsh said he has been listening to CIE members, partners and other stakeholders, and he will take advantage of Eurobike to get more input. He will take part in the Leaders’ Breakfast on Thursday, among other engagements. Based on initial talks, Walsh believes that leasing should be “a big component” to stimulate the industry. This assessment is based in part on the “very significant development of bike leasing” in European countries that have favorable policies for this business, such as Germany and Belgium.
CIE already launched an expert group on bicycle leasing last year, and a discussion on “unleashing the potential of company bike leasing in Europe” is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon on the Yellow Stage. “It would be nice to see more EU-wide harmonization there, and more policy encouragement, or policy guidelines from Brussels that could really stimulate that further,” Walsh said. “It’s quite a simple mechanism that will help to stimulate the sector, but it will also give employees a very healthy, environmentally friendly way to get themselves to work.”
The CIE chief is also advocating in favor of a European policy on cycling tourism. It could help that the EU commissioner for sustainable transport, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, is also in charge of sustainable tourism. “One of the big concerns within tourism now is on the one hand, over-tourism, but I think that the area that is equally if not more important is under-tourism,” said Walsh. “If you have the resources from cycling to open up opportunities in tourism in areas that don’t get them, I think this would be an excellent way to really deal with very current concerns in Brussels around tourism.”
CIE previously made it clear that the 36 commitments in the European Declaration on Cycling should turn into concrete measures in areas such as infrastructure and services. Targets for Walsh’s leadership will prioritize measures that could have the strongest impact, as well as the “most straightforward way” of achieving that impact. A more specific plan should be presented to the CIE board around October. More broadly, the new chief also wants to ensure the industry is fully aware of existing support mechanisms, to ensure “that we can make the most of the funding that is available and make the most of the provisions of the Cycling Declaration.”
CIE has relatively few resources, compared with other transport industries. But Walsh says that the team and the industry’s assets should make for efficient advocacy. The message may be amplified by forming more partnerships with other associations, as CIE has already done with partners such as CONEBI (Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry) and the European Cyclists’ Federation. Walsh saw the benefits of cycling firsthand when he started taking his bike to work more regularly, covering about 16 kms to Brussels. He’s eager to get more into cycling, and is interested in advice on the right bike (perhaps in exchange for some tips on tasty brews, since he previously published a magazine on Belgian beer?).
The change in CIE’s executive leadership comes as the European industry is getting more upbeat about recovery from the heavy inventory levels that burdened the market in recent years. Published in March, the Business Impact Survey conducted by CIE with Sporting Insights indicates that “the industry is maturing” after the ups and downs of the last years. Out of 43 respondents, about 42 percent saw higher sales last year, while 30 percent were stable and 28 percent were lower. Some 72 percent anticipate similar or higher sales this year. While overstocking on complete bikes remains an issue, fewer than 50 percent of respondents regard this as problematic.
CIE will have a significant presence in the Eurobike program this week. As reported separately, Tony Grimaldi, the association’s president, offered a keynote about the state of the cycling ecosystem at the Eurobike Leaders’ Night. And CIE will share the latest insights on policy and industrial development on the Yellow Stage on Wednesday morning. Digitalization and sustainability are other topics on its agenda. Friday’s Women in Cycling breakfast is also supported by CIE.