After almost 20 years with MSP (formerly Merseyside Sports Partnership) Jean Stephens has announced that she will be stepping down from her role as Chief Executive on the 31st January 2019. The announcement comes following Jean’s appointment to the role of Managing Director for Wirral Evolutions.
An independent panel is poised to recruit an Interim Chief Executive from within the ranks of MSP’s Senior Leadership Team during November. Following that appointment, Jean will work with both the person selected and MSP’s Advisory Board to ensure a seamless transition as they take up the reins. In the new year MSP will undertake a further round of recruitment, which will be open to both internal and external candidates, to identify the best candidate for the Chief Executive role in the longer term.
Commenting on Jean’s departure, Cameron Jones, Chair of MSP’s Advisory Board and Vice President of R&D for Unilever/ Head of Port Sunlight site, said
“Jean is a value-driven leader, who has a real skill for developing close, credible and consistent relationships. Under her passionate and energetic direction MSP has grown phenomenally. The organisation is now in its best shape ever, with a strong team; a well-defined strategy in place; a re-brand under its belt; and a progressive, independent board recruited, which will continue to check and challenge the organisation. On behalf of myself, the board and the core team I would like to wish Jean all the very best for the future. We look forward to seeing her achieve great things in her new role for Wirral Evolutions.”
Ron Odunaiya, MSP Advisory Board Member and Director of Community Services for Liverpool City Council added,
“Jean has been an outstanding leader during her time running MSP. She is an excellent strategic thinker who has put in place a clear vision for the organisation and delivered outstanding outcomes. She’s well respected in her field of work and is leading the way around measuring outcomes of programmes which contribute to improving physical activity levels. I have every confidence she will be a massive asset to Wirral Evolutions.”
Speaking about her departure Jean Stephen’s said,
“Whilst I am incredibly sad to be leaving MSP, I’m also incredibly proud of where the organisation is today. The outcomes-based approach which the whole organisation now works to is a holistic one, which recognises the widest possible set of benefits that sport and physical activity can achieve.
I’m looking forward to continuing to leverage the power that sport and physical activity has to positively affect lives and communities as I step into my new role.
I would like to thank Sport England for their continual investment and commitment to MSP; the highly skilled team of experts who I’ve led over the last 2 decades, for helping to unlock the power of sport and physical activity; and, of course, each and every person in the network who has supported our vision to inspire all people to be active every day. Together we have made a difference to the lives of millions of people.
Finally, I would like to wish my successor and the whole team every success as they forge ahead in evolving MSP as an organisation”
