Peter Rowley
Chairman
A qualified and experienced finance, management and marketing professional and a chartered director, Peter is an accomplished, accredited coach and organisational consultant, advisor and non-executive director in charities, not for profit, public and private sector organisations, utilising his background in finance, governance and marketing to good effect.
He holds several Ministerial Appointments and senior positions in sports administration. Previously Chairman of Sport England North-East he is a board member of Sport England (chairing the Audit, Risk and Governance Committee and a member of the Finance Committee), Sport England's Regional Champion for Community Sport in the North East , a director of the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (whose Audit and Risk Committee he chairs), an independent member of UK Sport's Audit Committee, a director of Coachwise Ltd., (the trading subsidiary of sports coach UK) and a trustee of the British Sports Trust which trades as Sports Leaders UK (chairing the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee). He is also a lay member of the Council for Licensed Conveyancers and a trustee of Tees Valley Community Foundation.
Peter retired as a Director and Chief Executive of Darlington Building Society in 2009 after 17 years in post and previously general and senior management in financial firms in a career of over 32 years in retail and commercial finance.
Peter is a keen runner and running coach, competing weekly at club level at all distances from 5k up to and including marathon.
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 Institute, SSI had grown to 44 across three countries. Suki runs QiSpa and The 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. Suki is currently the Vice Chair.
Russell Ward
Head of Lifelong Learning, Culture and Leisure – Neath and Port Talbot Council
Russell was nominated by the Sports Council for Wales Chief Leisure Officer's group to sit on the SkillsActive Board. 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.
Fred Turok
Chairman FIA, LA Fitness
Fred started his career as a Physical Education teacher, becoming Head of PE before moving into the health and fitness club industry. His first role was to be tasked with the responsibility of building and then running the second David Lloyd club which he did for 5 years. He then re mortgaged his house to raise enough money to buy his first health and fitness club in 1990.
Fred's own company gradually expanded and is now one of the leading chains in the industry, LA Fitness. The company listed on the stock exchange in 1996. In 15 years Fred has built up a chain of clubs and is a director at the Fitness Industry Association (FIA). The company recently privatised through a management buyout supported by the private equity firm Mid Ocean Partners. Fred is now Chairman of this 87 strong club chain.
Fred gets up early to work out every morning before he starts work. He grew up in Cape Town where his parents were jailed for being ANC members in 1964 fighting against the apartheid movement. He moved to the UK in 1967.
Di Standley
Initially trained as a teacher specialising in Physical Education, Di pursed 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.
She is involved with the World body for Lifesaving and Chairs the Equity and Diversity Committee for the International Lifesaving Federation (ILS) and the Management and Administration Commission for ILS Europe.
Di is also a Trustee and Director of the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation and has during that time enjoyed seeing the organisation develop and flourish into a bold influential and acknowledged voice for women and girls sport and physical activity in the UK. Di is passionate about training and development and is delighted to join the Board as the National Governing Body representative.
Jim Rose was appointed Director of Leisure Services, Lisburn Borough Council in February 2002. A native of Scotland with 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.
Responsible for all Council-related leisure and community services including the management of the Lagan Valley LeisurePlex, Island Arts Centre and the Irish Linen Centre & Lisburn Museum.
Past Chairman and current Secretary of the Northern Ireland Chief Leisure Officers' Association.
Trustee of Disability Sport Northern Ireland.
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 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 has 35 years experience of working in the 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 is the Chief Executive 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.
Mark Lavington is the HR Projects Manager for PGL. Mark spent several years working as a science teacher before spending the last 25 years in the Outdoor Sector 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 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.
