Carsten Jeppesen is somebody who works behind the scenes. In his eight years at Team CSC he almost seemed to pride himself on keeping out of the spotlight, despite the many successes enjoyed by the Danish squad.

As operations manager at Team Sky Jeppesen has a similar role, and a similar desire to remain in the background while the riders and the sports directors occupy centre stage.

The Dane brings to Team Sky his vast experience of setting up and helping to manage a ProTour team. Throughout 2009 he played a lead role in assisting Dave Brailsford and the other staff get the team off the ground - a huge logistical exercise that encompassed signing riders, sports directors, a staff team and putting in place the infrastructure to run a professional cycling team.

Brailsford described Jeppesen as "a fantastic addition to the team, and his knowledge in this crucial phase has been invaluable. We are delighted to have him on board."

"I'm very excited to be part of this team from the beginning," said Jeppesen. "It's a fantastic opportunity and I look forward to the challenge."

Jeppesen will divide his time between Team Sky's headquarters in Manchester and his home in Denmark. He will continue, though, to fulfil his behind-the-scenes role, working hard to ensure that the team is operating with maximum efficiency.