Our Board

• Independent Chair
• Senior Independent Director
• Chief Executive [Ex Officio position]
• 5 Appointed Directors
• 4 Elected Directors

Click here to see the Register of Interests

Dame Janet was appointed Chair of the Sport and Recreation Alliance on 5 July 2022. She joins the organisation as it continues to deliver its Support. Recover. Achieve. strategy over the next three years.

A firm advocate of physical activity, Dame Janet has just completed an 8 year term of office as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool. Between 2007 and 2015 she was the Vice Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University.

In Liverpool she chaired the Knowledge Quarter, Sciontec and Education Improvement Boards. She was the President of Universities UK between 2017 and 2019 and a Trustee of the British Council from 2014 until 2020.

With a strong background and experience in political influencing, Dame Janet is a Member of the Board of the Arts and Humanities Research Council, of the Advisory Board of the Government Skills and Curriculum Unit, and is Patron of the Mark Evison Trust. She was made Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2017 for services to higher education and diversity and equality.

Janet is the Chair of the Nominations Committee

Lisa Wainwright trained as a Physical Education teacher at the University of Warwick, where she was also elected Sabbatical Sports Officer and FISU student representative. She then went on to gain an MA in Learning and Teaching and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science for her services to the sports sector by the University of Bedfordshire.

Lisa has held a number of senior roles at Sport England - initiating the work on the safeguarding standards, club-mark and volunteering - before moving to become CEO at Volleyball England in 2008 and then British Basketball in 2016, before taking on her current role as CEO at the Sport and Recreation Alliance in 2019.

Internationally, Lisa has held roles on the European Volleyball (CEV) Credentials Panel and at the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) as their Technical Director and on their World Ethics Panel. She was also a member of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Governance Commission, as well as being a Director of the British Olympic Association.

Lisa has held a number of Non-Executive roles, including at Swim England [Vice Chair and Interim Group Chair of the Group Board 2013-2017] and the Institute of Swimming [Chair 2014 - 2017]. She was a trustee of the Samworth Brothers Sports Opportunity Fund [2012 – 2023] and has been a Director of the Wallace Group of Universities, working to support the development of sport in Zambia for the last 10 years.

Lisa graduated from the UK Sport CEO Executive Leadership Programme, and in 2018 became an Ambassador for Women on Boards UK. In 2019 she was ranked number 8 in the Top 100 Executive LGBT+ Allies by FT OUTStanding. Lisa is Vice Chair of Governors at Northampton School for Girls, is a member of the Sports Broadcast Committee and a judge for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Unsung Hero Award. Lisa was shortlisted for The Times Sports Women of the Year – Gamechanger Award (2023) for her work in securing the UK’s Secretariat for and host of the International Working Group on Women in Sport. She has two young daughters aged 11 and 12, and in 2022 was awarded an MBE for Services to Sport.

Lisa is the Board lead on Children and Young People/Safeguarding Issues
A member of the EDI Committee
A member of the IWG Steering Committee
A member of the Awards Panel

Richard is a lawyer whose career included senior positions in the legal and financial services sectors in the UK and Asia.

He is passionate about the benefits of sport and physical activity for individuals and communities, and believes that they can be used for transformative change on both a local and national level. He also has extensive governance experience and is a trustee/director of a number of other organisations in the voluntary sector, including his role as Chair of Active Surrey – members of the Alliance. 

Richard lives around Guildford with his family, and is an active member of a number of sports clubs. He particularly enjoys cricket, tennis and golf.

Richard is the Board lead on Governance

Kenny is the Director of Partnerships and Communications at British Rowing; his responsibilities include Brand; Sponsorship; Retail and Licensing; Marketing; Internal and external communications; Media and PR; Broadcasting; Public affairs; Events. 

Kenny joined British Rowing in 2015 following a successful tenure as Chief Executive Officer of London Scottish FC and before then was Chief Executive Officer of Glasgow Warriors, one of the two professional rugby clubs owned by the Scottish Rugby Union. 

Other volunteer roles he has is as a mini rugby coach at London Scottish for the Under 6s.

Kenny has been elected to the Board of the Alliance for a three-year term commencing September 2019.

Kenny is the Board lead on Income Generation
Chair of the Income Generation Working Group
A member of the Finance and Audit Committee

 

 

Currently Head of Community Engagement at London Marathon Events, Hamid has more than a decade of experience working in the youth and community sector and is a passionate diversity and inclusion advocate. 

Before taking on his current role in 2019, Hamid worked as Strategic Lead for Sported where he managed projects and services to almost 400 community sports organisations in London, primarily focusing on disadvantaged and under-represented communities across the capital and understanding barriers to engagement. 

He also spent five years working for national charity, Catch22 on a series of successful initiatives and continues to engage with young people through his roles as a Trustee for the Young Harrow Foundation and the Running Charity. 

Hamid started his role in February 2021 and his term will run until our AGM in 2024.

Hamid is the Board lead on Diversity and Equality issues
Chair of the EDI Committee

 

 

Caroline has over 30 years’ experience of operating at Board level and delivering transformational change across hospitality, youth development, property, housing and social care.

Caroline was Chief Executive of the Youth Hostel Association (YHA) (June 2017) for nine years and during this time was responsible for 1,300 staff and grew the volunteering number from 1,000 to 3,000 at the YHA.

She was also heavily involved in developing partnerships with the Department of Education and British Triathlon. Throughout her career, Caroline has developed a deep understanding of the culture of not for profit organisations and charities. 

Caroline is an Independent Director and her current term from July 2017 will last for three years.

Caroline is the Senior Independent Director
Chair of the Remuneration and Staffing Committee
Member of Nominations Committee

 

 

Dave was appointed Interim CEO at the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) in September 2021 having joined the as Head of Finance in 2012 following four years at the British Judo Association. His career began in accountancy practice and was followed by two roles within the LP gas industry.  His 11 years at Cavagna Group, a subsidiary of an Italian manufacturing company, culminated in the role of MD; he then joined Schneider Industry, a leading gas pressure vessel manufacturer, where he helped to re-shape the UK presence of the French owned subsidiary. Since joining the RYA, Dave has taken numerous RYA courses and has cruised with friends and family. Outside of boating, he is a keen (dog) walker and cyclist and encourages his children to be active, via swimming, life-saving and dance.

Dave joined our Board in October 2021 and will serve a four-year term.

Dave is the lead on issues of Finance
Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee
Member of Remuneration and Staffing Committee
Member of Nominations Committee

 

 

Jack is a public affairs professional who has been able to combine his interest in politics with his passion for sport, its importance to communities, and role in improving lives.

He joined the LTA in April 2019, and is currently Head of Public Policy, responsible for all public affairs, policy and government engagement for the organisation. Working across the UK, Welsh and Scottish Governments and Parliaments, he supports tennis in Britain from the grassroots through to the professional game, building advocacy, engagement and support for the LTA’s work. He is also the organisation’s Business Lead for environmental sustainability. Prior to his role at the LTA, Jack worked for a sports-focused public affairs consultancy, where his role centred on supporting All-Party Parliamentary Groups for sport in Parliament. 

Jack is a lifelong rugby league fan and has been involved in the community game for many years, including as a coach, player and volunteer. He also enjoys running, cycling and music. 

Jack is Chair of the Awards Panel
Member of the Income Generation Working Group

 

 

Katie has worked in healthcare regulation since 2016, and is a strong advocate of evidence-based policy-making and ensuring decisions represent value for money. 

As well as this, she was worked with various government departments and stakeholders on consultations, secondary legislation, and strategy development and implementation, from both within and outside the civil service.

She has spent her career in social policy, working for ten years as a government economist before moving into a more policy and strategy-based role.

Katie is passionate about the mental and physical health benefits of exercise and being outdoors, with . She and her family enjoy a variety of sports and recreational activities including cycling, walking, water sports, yoga and camping, while Katie has also previously played in netball and water polo leagues.

Katie is a Member of the IWG Steering Committee

 

 

Dame Sally, a leading figure in education for the past 40 years, has been a senior leader in schools and colleges – leading two successful, innovative colleges – Milton Keynes (1996-2003) and Activate Learning (2003-2022). Whilst at Activate Learning, she and her team transformed a medium-sized struggling institution into a high quality, financially strong organisation with a group of seven innovative colleges, three training providers, six schools and international work with a turnover of 150 million pounds.

Sally’s passion lies in creating learning organisations where people develop both their emotional and thinking capabilities, which led her to develop the Learning Philosophy which became the cultural heart at Activate Learning.

She is also a keen advocate for vocational education and was the President of the Association of Colleges from July 2020 until October 2022, and has also chaired and been a member of a range of local, regional and national Boards. Some of Sally’s other Board commitments include:

• Chair of Learning with Parents and Brook
• Board member of two private limited companies and two universities

Sally also coaches and mentors senior leaders and works with a range of organisations on culture change and team development.

In October 2013, Sally was awarded a CBE, before receiving a Damehood in the 2023 New Year’s Honours List.

 

 

Over the past 24 years, Rupinder has been practising law as a qualified Solicitor. She is the Managing Director of Pinder Reaux & Associates: a law firm specialising in commercial and civil litigation, media, sports and matrimonial/family law.

In 2017, Rupinder made history by becoming the first Asian appointment to the Board of the Football Association (FA), having been jointly appointed by the Premier League and the English Football League. This was followed up by Rupinder’s appointment to the Women’s Football Board in early 2019, before her term at the FA came to an end in July 2023.

In 2013, Rupinder was appointed to the Board of Directors of The Lily Foundation- a charity dedicated in researching into the treatment and possible cure for Mitochondrial Disease and in May 2023, Rupinder joined the Board of Integral Sports Management.

Rupinder joined the Board effective from the 2023 Annual General Meeting.

Rupinder is a Member of the IWG Steering Committee

 

The Alliance also has a number of Vice-Presidents, whose experience in the sector is invaluable to shape our future direction.