CSP Network are pleased to announce the appointment of a new Board of Trustees, with immediate effect.
The appointment of a new Board is the result of a governance review undertaken during 2015, conducted as part of wider changes to guide and support the next generation of CSPs. Following this review, CSPs unanimously agreed that the time was right to move to an appointed, skills based Board, to meet best practice guidelines and provide enhanced leadership for the network moving forwards.
The appointments are the result of an extensive open recruitment process, supported by Campbell Tickell, which sought a broad range of skills including a track record in a range of related sectors; experience in enterprise, social impact, customer engagement and digital technology; credibility and networks at local and national level; as well as general Board level corporate and governance skills. The new Board comprises a mix of trustees drawn from member CSPs, and independent members with no association with the network.
Chair of the CSP Network Richard Saunders, who stays on as Chair until the end of his term in 2018, commented on the appointments;
“I am delighted that we have been able to recruit such a high calibre, diverse and motivated new Board. It is excellent to see the skills we have within the network, and that we have been able to attract the support of influential people from outside our sector. Their commitment to helping deliver our mission to improve lives by growing grassroots sport and physical activity will be hugely beneficial”.
In addition to the Chair, two of the exiting trustees have been re-appointed for a further year to ensure continuity and a smooth transition period; Janet Inman, Chief Executive of Lincolnshire Sports Partnership, and Ben Jones, Director of Active Norfolk.
In addition, those appointed with association with member CSPs include Sue Anstiss, Chair of Get Berkshire Active; Nigel Harrison, Chief Executive Officer at Yorkshire Sport Foundation; Adrian Leather, Chief Executive at Lancashire Sport Partnership; and Eamonn O’Rourke, Board member at Greater Sport.
Independent members appointed include Matt Leach, Chief Executive of HACT; Marg Mayne, Chief Executive of Mytime Active, Health and Leisure Trust; Sue Storey, Director of Sport & International Development at the Sports Ground Safety Authority; Adam Walker, founder and Managing Partner of Oaks Consultancy, and Craig Gosling, Senior Strategy Manager (Consumer) at British Telecom.
A thorough induction process is being planned for the summer before the first meeting of the new Board in September.
The new Board will play a key role in shaping our future strategy which we expect to complete by the end of the year. Emerging themes as part of our Next Generation work has included CSPs playing a lead role in creating a customer centric revolution in the sector and strengthening our ability to guide investment decisions based on sound insight and evaluation frameworks.
CSP Network Board Trustee Profiles
Richard Saunders MBE |
Chair, CSP Network Board.
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Lives in Manchester |
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Richard established GreaterSport as the country's largest and first independent CSP in 2000. Since then he has been instrumental in shaping the role of CSPs in England, working with policy makers, government departments and senior politicians and helped establish CSP Network. He maintains a credible profile with national sports agencies, clarifying and advocating the role of CSPs. Richard has a professional background in education, full time sports coaching and instructing and has been at the forefront of sports development over a many years, initiating a number of revolutionary new roles and programmes in London, Surrey, Plymouth and Greater Manchester, latterly bringing together sport, health and economic development He has served as a trustee and chair on a number of charitable trusts and was awarded an MBE for services to grassroots sport in the North West in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours. Richard is an ex round the world cyclist and remains an active fell runner, cyclist and triathlete. |
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Janet Inman |
Chief Executive, Lincolnshire Sports Partnership |
Lives in Lincolnshire |
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Janet is the CEO at Lincolnshire Sport; she has been an active volunteer in sport since she was 14. Janet was trained as a Specialist PE teacher before going on to re-train and work in the Primary sector for 20 years, ending her career as a qualified head teacher. She left teaching to care for a family member and came to work, on a part- time basis, at Lincolnshire Sport in 2004, where she has been ever since. Janet is a person who believes in the value of community, she set up a Playgroup, Mothers and Toddlers and a youth group in her village and later went on to raise over £250,000 to build a purpose built Youth Centre to support young people in her community. Janet was the Development Director at Volleyball England for 14 years and supported them through the first iteration of the NGB whole sport plan and worked as the lead for safeguarding to guide them through the CPSU Safeguarding standards. Janet was seconded to LOCOG in 2012 and worked as part of the Games Maker team that delivered the London 2012 Beach Volleyball event. Janet holds a number of non-executive roles, including Chair of the Boston Sports Initiative, Director at Lincoln City Football Club Sport and Education Trust, was chair of a local charity Young and Safe In Gainsborough, a member of her village hall committee and a community champion. ‘I’m really excited to be part of evolution of the CSP Network Board, there are some exciting opportunities for both CSPs and the Network. I believe the new board will help us to continue on our development path to a great organisation and network.’ |
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Ben Jones |
Director, Active Norfolk
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Lives in Norfolk |
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Ben has been Director of Active Norfolk for 2 ½ years, having worked in various development roles with the CSP for 10 years. He has 20 years’ experience working in sport and leisure, including local government, a crime reduction charity, further and higher education. A Sports science graduate, Ben is an experienced coach and coach educator. He has held various voluntary roles in community sport, from coach to safeguarding lead, as well as having key roles in the establishment and development of a number of clubs Ben has held previous non-executive roles, including as trustee of a leisure trust operating sport and leisure facilities across a district. ‘I’m really excited to be part of the CSPN Board at this time. I think we’re moving into a hugely important period for sport and physical activity development and I’m grateful for the opportunity to try and support a fantastic organisation to shape a positive future for the network’. |
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Sue Anstiss |
Chair, Get Berkshire Active Founder and Managing Director, Promote Public Relations Ltd |
Lives in Berkshire |
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Sue is a communications specialist with over 25 years’ experience in the field of sports, fitness and active leisure. She is also a successful entrepreneur, having founded an agency, Promote PR, in 1994, which continues to specialise in raising profile for a wide range of clients in sport and fitness. Prior to setting up her own company, Sue worked in sports marketing for Gatorade at Quaker Oats Ltd and in sales and marketing at Cadbury Ltd. Sue offers huge expertise on driving grassroots sports and physical activity participation through traditional public relations, along with social media and digital communications. An experienced non-executive director, Sue’s current roles include Chair of Get Berkshire Active, Board member of Women’s Sport Trust charity and a member of the Supplier Council of ukactive. A keen sportswoman herself, Sue took up triathlon in 2013 and subsequently qualified to represent GB at various World and European Age Group Championships. “Having witnessed the superb work of various CSPs in recent years, primarily through my involvement with PROACTIVE London and more recently at Get Berkshire Active, I feel incredibly excited about the impact CSPs can have at a grassroots community level in the future. I’m privileged to be joining the CSP-N board at such a key time for sport and physical activity in the country”. |
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Nigel Harrison |
Chief Executive Officer, Yorkshire Sport Foundation |
Lives in Oldham |
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Nigel has a long and a successful involvement with the CSP Network from both his executive and his non-executive roles. He is CE of a large CSP and a former NGB lead, leading and chairing a national group of CSP managers involved in NGB work. He is also a non-executive Board member and Chair of Governance with the Yorkshire Netball Association and Chairman of Oldham Community Leisure – an Industrial and Provident Society operating nine leisure facilities on behalf of Oldham Council. Nigel brings a strong track record in the sector coupled with experience of strategy development and governance within a number of related organisations. He is also an accredited sports tutor and tennis coach. Nigel is looking forward to joining the CSPN Board. “Through increased insight into changing customer needs and new national strategies we are entering into a new phase of how the sector supports people to take part in sport and CSPs have an important and unique role in this. I want to do what I can to support CSPs in their development by being a member of the CSPN Board.” |
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Adrian Leather |
Chief Executive, Lancashire Sport Partnership |
Lives in Cumbria |
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Adrian has been the CE of Lancashire SP (LSP) for over 10 years following an earlier career in local government where he held positions in community safety and youth offending. At LSP he has grown and established broad networks and partnership working with a wide range of stakeholders beyond the traditional sports and leisure organisations, including public health and third sector organisations (MIND, mental health trusts, Groundwork), housing associations and DCLG, the Home Office and the local Police Crime Commissioner, tourist bodies and other government bodies. Adrian offers good experience of partnership and joint working at a regional level and a background in strategy development and implementation. Adrian holds a number of non-executive roles, including Chair of the regional ASA, Chair of the NW CSP Group and Chair of Third Sector Lancashire. Adrian is looking forward to joining the board, “I believe that CSPs have the potential to make a more significant and wider contribution to health outcomes and the economy, I wanted through involvement with the CSPN Board to help shape the direction of travel and support the dialogue with national bodies to enable us to be seen as an invaluable strategic partner nationally and locally in achieving this goal”. |
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Eamonn O’Rourke |
Head of Community & Cultural Services (until 2016), Manchester City Council, and Board member, Greater Sport |
Lives in Manchester |
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Eamonn is a former senior officer in local government sports and leisure. He has a track record of promoting sports and physical activity programmes and strategies to maximise sport an all levels, from developing sports facilities within Manchester to active involvement in bidding and attracting major sporting events to the City, including the Commonwealth Games, World Squash Championships, World Indoor Championships and seven other national championships which are held in Manchester each year. His interest in sports has extended into a range of non-executive over a period of 15 years with regional sports and leisure organisations. He has chaired the Velodrome Trust and the Forum Futures Board and is currently a Board member with the Trafford Leisure Trust and the Greater Manchester Sports Partnership. Eamonn has a wealth of experience in working with local authorities and government in the field of leisure, sports and active lifestyles, and has considerable involvement in local and regional sports, as well as playing and supporting the development of strategies to grow the water polo at a national level. Eamonn motivation for wanting to Join the CSP Network Board is to be able to contribute at a national level to the strategies for sport and active lifestyle and to influence policy making that impacts directly to an increase in opportunity for people to access sport at a local level. This is a passion of mine and I want to influence a change in line with emerging Sport England strategy's to increase participation within communities. |
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Craig Gosling |
Senior Strategy Manager (Consumer), British Telecom |
Lives in London |
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Craig is an experienced service design expert, with an impressive track record at British Telecom of new customer propositions. He was involved in the launch of BT Mobile in 2015, and of BT Sport in 2013 (which now has over five million customers). He has built his career over the last ten years in sales, marketing and digital, and brings considerable expertise in customer experience and insight, and how to bring solutions and products to the marketplace. Prior to his seven years at BT, Craig worked as a business analyst at Marks & Spencer. His personal involvement in sport spans being both an athlete – representing his country at Korfball for over 10 years – and chairing one of the largest tennis clubs in Surrey and the National Governing Body for Korfball. |
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Matt Leach |
Chief Executive, HACT |
Lives in London |
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Matt is Chief Executive of HACT, a not for profit housing innovation and ideas agency which promotes new and innovative approaches to addressing housing issues. He has held a range of senior policy and leadership roles at the interface between the state and not-for-profit sectors, including Associate Director at ResPublica, Chief Executive of Capacitybuilders and Director of Policy and Communications at the Housing Corporation and as a senior civil servant at the Cabinet Office, and has served as a Board member of the Accord Group and of Caldmore Area Housing Association. Matt offers a long-standing interest in and commitment to grassroots sports participation having created and run a small martial arts club and established a youth football based charity in Camden. Over the last four years he has been founding chair of a social enterprise, Shared Assets Ltd, which provides support to communities and landowners to find financially sustainable community-based uses for green space and other environmental assets. Matt brings considerable experience of working in and with government and its agencies, leading organisational transformation and change, and developing sustainable commercial operating models within the not for profit sector. He is looking forward to bringing all of this to the CSPN - "I've been looking for a way to contribute to the development of sport and physical activity at a strategic level, but with a big focus on achieving real practical impact at local level. The CSPN brings together so much fantastic work by organisations across the country - I can't wait to join in and help make a difference". |
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Marg Mayne |
Chief Executive, Mytime Active, Health and Leisure Trust |
Lives in Canterbury |
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Marg is the Chief Executive of a social enterprise and leisure trust offering leisure and health services, including the largest ‘pay and play’ golfing operation in the UK with 16 sites across the Midlands and the South, and an award winning child weight management programme that extends nationally. Marg joined Mytime Active from the international development charity, VSO, where she was Chief Executive, and combining this experience with an interim role at Volunteering England, she is committed to the importance and power of volunteering to build a stronger and healthier society. Having qualified as an accountant early in her career, Marg brings financial and commercial skills from worked in a range of finance roles in the third sector, including as Finance Director of a large Housing Association and of the British Council. She also Alongside her paid work, Marg has held a number of national and local non-executive positions with not-for-profit organisations, including Sporta (where she is currently the Treasurer), Akram Khan Dance Company and the Nationwide Foundation. Marg motivation for joining the CSP Network Board is “I really believe that we can get our communities healthier and happier by getting them more active – and that the CSPs have big potential to make this a reality. It has to be local to make sense, and it has to be joined up nationally to make a difference. I am a personal admirer of the work that the CSP has done for my nephew who has autism and complex needs. And I am excited by the Sport England strategy that emphasises the importance of broadening our reach. So I am really pleased to have the opportunity to join the CSP Network board.” |
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Sue Storey |
Director of Sport & International Development, Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA) |
Lives in Nottingham |
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Sue has a background in emergency planning, health and safety and business continuity – initially in local government and latterly as a member of the senior team in SGSA. Her role incorporates working with the ECB to develop safety across cricket, developing SGSA links internationally and working with football clubs in the East Midlands, South Yorkshire and Humberside. Also developing stakeholder relationships with national and international sporting bodies, federations and organising committees. Sue has chaired internal committees, local government groups (such as the Nottinghamshire Safety Advisory Group) and the governing body of her local primary school. She is a keen cyclist and cycled from London to Paris in 2015 for Leukaemia, she previously played hockey at Midlands League level and was a past Taekwondo British Veterans Champion. Sue brings a background in leadership and senior management, and has worked with many local and national sporting organisations. Sue’s view on why she joins the CSP Network board, “Sport changes lives, I see that through my role with major sporting events, and as a mother of sporty children. I now want to do my bit to encourage more people to embrace sport and to reap those benefits as well as enjoying sport.”. |
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Adam Walker
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Founder and Managing Partner, Oaks Consultancy |
Lives in Sussex, works in Solihull |
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Adam is the founder of a successful management consultancy company working within sport, education, and the 3rd and corporate sectors. Since the company’s inception in 2008, it has built a respected reputation for delivering innovative advice and solutions along with an excellent return on investment. Its clients currently include, premier league and championship football teams, national charities, FTSE 100 companies, universities, multi academy trusts, housing associations and national governing bodies of sport. Prior to its establishment, Adam held senior positions within Team Origin the British America’s Cup team, UK Athletics and the Lawn Tennis Association. In addition to his professional career, Adam has also been an active volunteer, acting as a non-executive trustee within a range of sport and none sporting charities. Adam offers considerable experience of working with CSPs and insight into their challenges and opportunities against a changing environment, in particular in the area of income diversification. Adams motivation for joining the board “I am passionate about helping people to improve their lives and firmly believe the current and future work of the CSP Network has and will continue to play a vital part in making this happen. The CSP Network has reached a very exiting phase of its development and I am really excited about being given the opportunity to help them shape their future and reach their potential”. |
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For more information please contact Nicki Couzens ncouzens@cspnetwork.org
About the CSP Network
The CSP Network is a nationwide network of 45 County Sports Partnerships employing circa 670 staff with a total turnover of £57 million. Our mission is ‘To improve lives by growing grassroots sport and physical activity’. By 2020, our headline goals are:
- To get 500,000 more adults participating regularly in sport.
- To reduce the number of adults that are inactive by 250,000.
- To get 1 million young people more active.
We do this via:
- National Reach - Local Impact: Getting the nation active by delivering or commissioning high impact customer-led solutions.
- Clubs, Coaches & Volunteers: Developing a high quality, diverse workforce and supporting them to deliver inspiring activities that are accessible to all.
- Local Leadership: Co-ordinating the effective delivery of local sport and physical activity by brokering relationships and influencing stakeholders.
- Insight and Influence: Understanding the needs of the local area to influence and guide decisions to maximise investment into sport and physical activity.
- Awareness and Advocacy: Raising the profile of sport and physical activity through innovative local and national promotional campaigns.
Our Performance:
- Based on feedback from over 2,000 partners, our Net Promoter Score was 38 in 2015, improving from from 28 in 2012.
- 91% of partners were either very satisfied or satisfied with the ‘added value’ that CSPs provided in 2015.
- CSPs levered in £40 million of funding to support partners in 2014-15.
- 519,000 young people have completed a Sportivate project since 2011.
- 8,000 coaches have been supported to progress from level 1 to level 2 since 2009.