We are governed by a board of directors, made up of leaders drawn from across our sector.

Our board sets our strategic direction and is the accountable body for the leadership, management, delivery and operations of the SkillsActive Group. Representatives from the professional sport and the outdoors are still to be appointed.

Elaine Clowes: Chair and Playwork

Elaine Clowes is chief executive of Children's Links, a national charity working for, and with, children, young people and families. Elaine the organisation in 1993 to support the development of school aged childcare. She has led its growth to its current position of employing more than 180 staff delivering across 12 key areas for children and their families. This includes the development of play, developing and operating an adventure playground, youth inclusion, children's participation, services for parents, carers, children and young people, childcare, grant making, training, workforce development. It also offers support services for more than 800 voluntary sector childcare groups, and family services in prisons and immigration resettlement centres.

Sue Fagg: Vice Chair and Caravans

Sue Fagg is owner/director of the Dog and Duck leisure park, a family business she has run since 1972. The caravan park is an example of the many SMEs (small to medium sized businesses) in the SkillsActive footprint. Sue has been both chair of the Caravan Industry Training Organisation (CITO), and national chair of the British Holiday and Home Parks Association (BH&HPA).

Mark Allman: Local Authorities

Mark Allman has 20 years experience of working in the leisure sector and has been head of sport and active recreation for Leeds City Council for the past 10 years. His professional career started with Rank Leisure and then moved into local authority sector overseeing a large range of leisure disciplines including sport, arts and play development. He sits on the Chief Leisure Executive Committee, and has been involved with SPELG from its inception. A keen follower (and occasional participant) of sport he is an avid Liverpool FC fan and a Trustee for the Leeds Rugby Foundation.

Julie Amies: Community Sport

Julie Amies has worked in the sport and leisure industry for over 25 years, in the private sector, for a non departmental public body and local government. She now heads up the sports development service for Hampshire County Council and in the last 10 years has established and served as partnership director to Sport Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, one of 49 County Sports Partnerships in England.

Angela Brown: Shadow Board Member for Playwork

As the next elected representative for the Playwork sector Angela Brown will be working closely alongside Elaine Clowes for the coming 12 months in order to ensure continuity. Angela has 35 years experience of working in children and adult care sector. Trained as a teacher and social worker she lectured in both Further and Higher Education before setting up her own company in 1999. In 2006 she set up a further community interest company employing the people she had trained. This interest in training, employment and business has led to a doctoral thesis on workforce development modelling for children and adult services, an area she is passionate about. Angela chairs England Playwork Education Training Council, represents England on the UK PETC, is a UK ambassador for Enterprise and represents Childcare on an employers training group in the North East.

Adrian Christy: National Governing Bodies of Sport

Adrian Christy is the chief exectutive of Badminton England. Having worked in local authority Sport Development units and The National Coaching Foundation for several years, Adrian moved into National Governing Bodies, first with the Lawn Tennis Association and then onto England Squash as director of development and competition. In 2006 he was appointed chief executive of Badminton England. His aim is to grow all aspects of the organisation including commercial opportunities, participation, coaching and competition with the ultimate ambition to stand on the Olympic Podium.

Suki Kalirai: Spa, Hair and Beauty

Suki Kalirai has 25 years experience operation at the highest level in business. In 2000 he set up Spa and Salon International and founded both re-aqua and Dove Spa. By the end of 2007 when he moved his attention to the Carlton Instute, SSI had grown to 44 across three countries. Suki runs Qi Spa and Carlton Institute. He is also chair of the Spa Business Association (the trade association for major UK spa and salon operators), deputy chair of Habia (the UK government standard setting body for spa, hair and beauty) as well as sitting on the SkillsActive board and acting as interim CEO.  

Mark Lavington: Outdoors

Mark Lavington is the HR Projects Manager for PGL – the UK's largest provider of Residential Outdoor and Education courses for Children and Young People, with a turnover of £65 million and serving 320,000 guests through a staff team of 2500. Following several years as a budding science teacher he has worked in the Outdoor Sector for 25 years in roles including HR Manager, Training Manager, Activity Centre Manager and Activity Instructor. He is the Chair of the SkillsActive Outdoor Employers Group, sits on the English Outdoor Council and is a Committee member of the British Activity Providers Association. Mark has been an outdoor enthusiast for 40 years and still tries to fit in more mountain-biking and hill walking than having a job should allow.

Joyce McKellar: Scotland

Joyce McKellar was appointed chief executive of Renfrewshire Leisure in August 2005. Renfrewshire Leisure is an arms-length organisation which manages ten indoor and outdoor leisure facilities for Renfrewshire Council under a service level agreement. Joyce has 28 years experience of management in leisure facilities and community development across a number of authorities including Glasgow and Renfrewshire and is currently leading a £40 million capital investment programme in new and refurbished leisure facilities on behalf of Renfrewshire Council.

Richard Millman: Contractor (Leisure and Fitness)

Richard Millman has been CEO of Leisure Connection since early 2009 and has successfully led the business through a turnaround in its fortunes, including expanding the business into new areas. Richard brings 20 years experience in marketing, commercial and general management roles from companies as diverse as Diageo, Allied Domecq, Coca-Cola and PC World, in markets as diverse as the UK and Russia.

Jim Rose: Northern Ireland

Jim Rose has been director of leisure services for Lisburn City Council for ten years. Jim holds a Bachelors Degree from Glasgow University, and a Masters Degree in Recreation Management from Loughborough University. A native of Scotland, he has extensive experience in the sport and leisure industry, having previously worked for Edinburgh City Council, Loughborough University, and as director of leisure services at Castlereagh Borough Council. In Lisburn he is responsible for all Council - related leisure and community services including the management of Lagan Valley LeisurePlex, Island Arts Centre, and the Irish Linen Centre & Lisburn Museum. He is the present Chairman of the Northern Ireland Chief Leisure Officers' Association.

Mark Sesnan: Trust (Leisure and Fitness)

Mark Sesnan is managing director of (GLL) Greenwich Leisure Limited a pioneering worker-owned, charitable leisure social enterprise that currently operates all the public leisure centres in the five Olympic Host Boroughs. GLL employs around 4,000 people operating 70 leisure centres in partnership with 14 Boroughs and is aiming to be a key Social Enterprise player in the delivery of the Olympic Games in London in 2012 and more importantly in the Legacy for East London thereafter.

Di Standley: National Governing Bodies of Sport

Di Standley initially trained as a teacher specialising in Physical Education before pursuing a career in the Leisure Industry for 17 years culminating as a chief officer for Leisure in Wiltshire. Di then worked as a freelance consultant before joining the Audit Commission as an inspector for the newly formed Best Vale Inspection Service and continued to work for them as a consultant. Di is the chief executive of the Royal Life Saving Society UK, a post she has held for over 6 years. RLSS is the UK's premier Education and Training Skills organisation for Water Safety, Aquatic Supervision and Drowning Prevention. RLSS UK is the Governing Body for Lifesaving Sport and Lead Industry Body for training Lifeguards, setting standards and providing guidance and advice on aquatic safety.

Fred Turok: Commercial Operator (Leisure and Fitness)

Fred Turok started his career as a PE teacher, before moving into the health and fitness club industry. He bought his first club in 1990. LA Fitness is now one of the leading chains in the industry of which he is chair. Fred also chairs a number of other organisations including the Fitness Industry Association (FIA) and TAG, a charity placing young unemployed people into jobs - the Responsibility Deal Physical Activity network.

Russell Ward: Wales

Russell Ward is head of lifelong learning, culture and leisure – Neath and Port Talbot Council. His department in Neath and Port Talbot runs the NPTC Training/Learning Programme for the Sector, and he was formerly Operational Manager for Sport and Recreation at Cardiff County Council.

View details of the senior team working within SkillsActive >