Investing In Major Sporting Events 2020

Martin Reeves
Chief Executive
Coventry City Council

Martin has been Chief Executive of Coventry City Council since April 2009. He was the Chief Executive and the Head of Paid Service of the West Midlands Combined Authority March 2016 to September 2017. He had previously been with Bedfordshire County Council for three and a half years as Assistant Chief Executive and Chief Executive. Martin was previously Head of Performance Improvement at Westminster City Council in the heart of London. He was also Programme Director for Work Smart the City Council’s flagship transformation programme. Martin spent much of his early career as a lecturer and researcher and has a PhD in applied economics. He is a Governor on the Board at Coventry University; is the first Honorary President of LARIA (Local Authorities Research and Intelligence Association)and on the board of the Centre for Cities. He was the President of SOLACE (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives) in 2013. He is the Local Government Association (LGA) National Procurement Champion. In 2015, Martin was invited onto the independent taskforce, which produced the new 5-year national cancer strategy. He chairs the national cross-system board for sustainable health & social care. He is also a member of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Advisory Board. In 2018 Martin was once again included in the top 50 of the Local Government Chronicle’s list of most influential people in local government.

Ian Reid
Chief Executive Officer
Birmingham 2022

Laura Shoaf
Managing Director
Transport for West Midlands

Laura Shoaf is Managing Director of Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) - part of the West Midlands Combined Authority. She has more than 20 years' international experience in delivering integrated economic and spatial regeneration. After leaving her native USA, Laura became Head of Strategic Planning and Implementation at the Black Country Consortium and was instrumental in the creation of the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). As Black Country Director of Transport, Laura championed and led the area's transport agenda, directly advising Chief Executives, Leaders and the LEP. In 2015, Laura became Strategic Director for Transport at the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority and then in June 2016 took up her current position where she is responsible for key initiatives across the metropolitan areas such s Midlands Connect, the HS2 Connectivity Package and the region's Strategic Transport Plan, liaising with Government departments and regional agencies for the benefit of the West Midlands. She is also responsible for delivering a £4bn transport package over the next 10 years underpinning economic regeneration in the region. Laura is a Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and a committee member of both UITP and EMTA, highly-respected international and European organisations dedicated to promoting public transport and the dissemination of best practice.

Martin Sutherland
Executive Director & Chief Executive
UK City of Culture 2021

Martin Sutherland is Chief Executive of Coventry City of Culture Trust, the organisation charged with delivering Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture in 2021. Prior to joining the Trust, Martin spent ten years as the Chief Executive of Royal & Derngate theatres in Northampton (where he also established the Core at Corby Cube arts centre). He previously led the Corn Exchange and New Greenham Arts in Newbury a ...

John Crabtree OBE
Chair
2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee

John is the Lord Lieutenant for the County of the West Midlands. He is currently Chairman of Glenn Howells Architects, Real Estate Investors Plc, Staffline Group plc, White & Black Limited, Brandauer Holdings Limited and Finch Consulting Ltd. He is also Director of Tara Developments and Worcester Warriors. He is Chairman of the Birmingham Independent Improvement Panel which oversees Birmingham City Council’s implementation of the Kerslake Review recommendations. John is a former President of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce & Industry, former Chairman of Sense (2007-2017) and the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust (2001-2017). He also served as a Director of Advantage West Midlands (former Regional Development Agency) for seven (7) years until its abolition in 2012. In 2003, he was voted West Midlands Businessman of the Year, the following year he was voted UK Lawyer of the Year and has received lifetime achievement awards from the Birmingham Law Society and in 2012, the Birmingham Post. John has also received honorary doctorates from Birmingham University and Birmingham City University. He was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant in 2005 and was High Sheriff of West Midlands in 2006-07. The role is remunerated at £20 000 p.a. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Government’s Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation or candidature for election. John has declared no such political activity.

Jon Dutton
CEO
Rugby League World Cup 2021

Having led England's successful bid to host the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, Jon was appointed Chief Executive of the tournament; leaving his position as Rugby Football League Director of Projects and People. A sports management graduate with over 20 years’ experience in the sports industry. Jon has previously worked for the PGA European Golf Tour, Manchester FA (with a secondment to UEFA) and ran his own sports consultancy company. Jon was the Operations Director for Rugby League World Cup 2013, Director of Readiness for the Tour de France Grand Depart in 2014 and Tournament Director for the Ladbrokes Four Nations tournament in 2016. In 2017 Jon was the International Federation Tournament Commissioner for the Rugby League World Cup in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Jon is also a member of the UK Sports Major Events Panel, a specialist advisory body. Its main purpose is to represent the interests of UK Sport by making major event investment recommendations to the UK Sport Board.

Paul Harrison
Managing Director
Phasic-Ltd

Paul has been involved in developing safe practice in the voluntary, private and statutory sectors for over three decades. He has developed and managed new and innovative services in health, education and social care settings and also has a wide experience working with children, young people and adults at risk of abuse in the voluntary sector, where he has led organisations and managed projects. Paul has extensive experience as a trustee responsible for safeguarding, as a Designated Safeguarding Lead and has also worked within the Local Authority managing allegations against members of the children’s workforce. He is passionate about protecting children and promoting wellbeing and helping organisations to understand how to safeguard people well, without resorting to risk-averse or overly-bureaucratic systems.

Jan Inge Ebbesvik
President for the Road Worlds for Seniors
Motitech

Jan Inge Ebbesvik is the president for the Road Worlds for Seniors at Motitech. The championship was firstly held in 2017, and it was an overwhelming success. We aim for the Road Worlds for Seniors to become the world’s largest sporting event, measured in number of participants.

Imogen Sanders
Senior Consultant
Perret Laver

Imogen is a Senior Consultant at Perrett Laver, leading the Sports division of the Global Arts, Culture and Sports practice. She advises on senior leadership appointments across Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity, as well as supporting work across the Global Non-Profit, UK Voluntary, and Education Practices at Perrett Laver. She is currently leading the Sport England and UK Sport Diversity in the Non-Executive Leadership campaign, building a network of board-ready candidates seeking opportunities across the sector. Imogen previously competed at international level with the Great Britain Karate Squad and has coached club level, junior teams. She continues to enjoy sport and physical activity, including running, hiking, touch rugby and has recently discovered climbing! Imogen has supported Perrett Laver’s organisation of, and alongside colleagues taken part in, the National Three Peaks Challenge in aid of SeeSaw and WaterAid; the Coast to Coast Challenge in aid of Myeloma UK and the London Community Foundation; and the Three Lakes Challenge in aid of Plastic Oceans. She is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Governor at Rutherford House School, and Chair of Perrett Laver’s Corporate Responsibility Committee.

David McHendry
Managing Director
Knight Kavanagh & Page

David is an expert in leisure facility development, planning, management and operation. This is built upon extensive major facility management background, commercial acuity and strategic understanding. He is a leading sector ‘go to’ person for clients seeking to improve service efficiency/effectiveness, reduce costs and raise net income. The KKP lead on feasibility studies, business improvement, procurement and options appraisal assignments, David has assessed the right course of action for 20+ whole service appraisals providing well informed business cases to justify subsequent investment and change. His client base includes Glasgow Life, plus Tameside, Salford, Northampton and MytimeActive (Bromley) leisure trusts. He has led KKP’s indoor and built facilities planning, service evaluation, business planning, and governance structure review for 40+ local authorities including Liverpool City Council, Glasgow, Gateshead, Blackpool and the States of Jersey. His feasibility study portfolio includes Middlesbrough Sports Village, Redcar and Cleveland Leisure Community Heart, the new University of Birmingham Sport & Fitness Centre, Horwich Leisure Centre, Bolton and the Trinity Sport & Leisure Centre in Bridgwater

Rachel Fowler
Managing Director
Strategic Leisure

Following her first degree in English, Rachel studied sport and leisure management at post-graduate level at Loughborough University. She moved into consultancy in 1997 after a ten-year career in leisure management with six different local authorities. She has over twenty-eight years’ experience in sports and leisure management in both the public and private sectors. In addition to her management responsibilities, Rachel retains an active role in the delivery of consultancy services to a range of clients across the UK, and internationally, and is now one of the UK’s most experienced leisure consultants. Rachel has completed over 800 consultancy projects; her experience covers the whole range of Strategic Leisure services and sectors but she has particular experience in strategic planning for indoor and outdoor facilities, green space and cultural provision, feasibility studies, facility development, funding, procurement, planning policy, evaluation, stadia and arena planning and operation, funding and major events. She has worked with many clients to address the challenges of strategic planning for facility provision, involving rationalisation, partnership and planning across boundaries. Much of Rachel's current work involves identifying and assessing options for the future delivery of cultural and leisure services, including libraries, heritage, the arts, theatres, sports and leisure facilities, and sport and arts development. She is also developing a significant number of strategic plans for facilities with local authorities. Her appreciation of the current public sector funding context, together with a detailed understanding of local authorities makes her ideally placed to advise on options for future delivery, their impact and implications, and what alternatives might be appropriate to ensure long term service sustainability. Rachel is also currently working with a number of clients on major facility developments, involving a wide range of different partnerships, and other strategic planning projects. Passionate about client care and delivery of quality outputs, Rachel has contributed significantly to the development of Strategic Leisure’s consultancy approach and team ethos.

Edward Sargent
Business Development Director
Pivot Power

Edward has spent the last 15 years working with businesses to deliver innovation in energy and storage solutions. As Business Development Director at Pivot Power, he is developing partnerships with logistics, last-mile delivery and transport companies to provide the power that will enable the electrification of their fleets. Prior to joining Pivot Power, Edward built and led Tesla's UK & Ireland Powerpack business, which he joined from innovative energy tech start-up Tempus Energy. Previously he worked in senior engineering roles delivering energy savings and sustainable solutions for landlords, asset managers public sector and commercial developers. Edward holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Northumbria University.

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