2019 Judges

The Chief Executive of England Netball, Joanna Adams, is responsible for the strategic plan of the sport across the country. Joanna became involved in netball more than eight years ago having originally joined the organisation as Commercial Director.

With more than 20+ years of experience working with brands, rights holders and the media, Joanna is one of the most highly regarded and innovative Chief Executives in British sport.

Under Joanna’s strong leadership, England Netball secured the rights to host the Netball World Cup 2019 in Liverpool and has seen record growth in the company’s participation programmes, sponsorship deals and ticket revenue. Joanna was a part of the team in 2018 that was pivotal in the England squad’s historic win at the Commonwealth Games, which has since inspired thousands of women to take up the sport. Under her guidance, netball has proudly become the fastest growing female team sport in the country.

Since the 1980’s Cherry has built a reputation for dedicating herself to athletics, working with thousands of athletes and volunteers alike to ensure athletics events across the length and breadth of the country run smoothly.

Alexander’s first job at Nike UK was working under the leadership of Brendan Foster and organising the first years of the Great North Run.

Cherry has been involved in athletics for over 37 years, and has been instrumental in the success of British Athletics Major Events over the last two decades, working across a multitude of domestic and international competitions. She played a significant part in the athletics competition delivery during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Cherry received an MBE at the end of that year for services to sport and is a previous winner of the Sunday Times Sportswomen of the year ‘Unsung Hero’ Award.

Her biggest success has undoubtedly been in delivering numerous major events on British soil and in playing a leading role in the best-ever staging of the IAAF World Championships and World Para Athletics Championships in London in 2017.

In November 2017 Cherry was awarded the IAAF Woman of the Year title,  and continued to deliver excellence for the world governing body helping ensure the successful staging of the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham in March 2018.

Philip Bernie is the Head of BBC TV Sport – responsible for all TV Sport output on the BBC.

Philip joined the BBC in 1984 as a Production Trainee after leaving university. He became an Assistant Producer on Grandstand, later becoming Editor of Football Focus and then Match Of The Day. He has also been Assistant Editor and then Editor of Grandstand.

He was Editor of Sports Personality Of The Year from 1999 to 2005, during which time he won a Royal Television Society Award for the show.

He was Editor on the Olympic Games from 1992 to 2004, and on the Commonwealth Games from 1994 to 2002.

He was Editor of the World Cup in 1990 and 1994 as well as Euro 96, and was Executive Producer of the World Cup in 2002.

He was Editor of Wimbledon from 2003 to 2007 and founding Editor of both the BBC One series On Side and the BBC Two series Match Of The Day 2.

Prior to his current role, Philip was Head of Programmes and Planning in BBC TV Sport from 2005 to 2007 and then Head of TV Sport Editorial from 2007 to 2009.

Before joining TV Sport in 1987, Philip worked in various areas of the BBC including spending a year in Radio Sport and a year at the Breakfast Time TV programme.

For fourteen years Roger represented Great Britain at the highest level in the world of athletics, both as an individual 400 metre runner and as a member of the 4×400 metre relay team, winning fifteen major Championship medals including European, Commonwealth, and World Championship Gold medals.

His greatest achievement was winning the Olympic 400 metre Silver medal in 1996 and he is particularly admired for his triumphs over adversity, successfully overcoming several serious injuries and set backs throughout his career.

Roger has been British Men’s Team Captain and was awarded the M.B.E. in 1992.

Roger is also partner of BackleyBlack with Steve Backley and owner of Roger Black Fitness.

The Times writes of him “Steve Black is acknowledged as the best conditioning coach in the world”. Kevin Keegan called him ‘the best one-to-one coach in the world’. Jonny Wilkinson lays much of the credit for his unparalleled success at Steve’s door. Graham Henry, the All Blacks coach, calls him “the best motivator I’ve ever encountered”. Steve describes himself as a chameleon – someone who is able to evolve to suit the needs of the persons he is coaching at each individual circumstance.

Steve has won championships and cups in football and rugby at the highest levels. He has coached at international level with Wales and the British & Irish Lions. He coached with Kevin Keegan at Newcastle United when they won promotion at the start of the Keegan Era. He coached with Rob Andrew at Newcastle Falcons when they won the Premiership and the Tetley’s Bitter Cup. He coached with Peter Reid at Sunderland when they won promotion to the Premiership. He coached with Wales RFU when they won 11 in a row – more games than even the great Welsh team of the 70’s achieved. He coached with Paul Bracewell at Fulham, after which he returned to the Falcons with Rob Andrew where they went on to win the Powergen Cup. Steve’s work in boxing, golf and swimming add more flavours to a coaching CV of some distinction, wouldn’t you agree?

Steve presents key note speeches, seminars and management conferences all over the world centred around five main topics. These are motivation, leadership, teamwork, top-level performance and effectiveness. Many people around the world benefit from his insights, ranging from Jonny Wilkinson in sport through to P&G, Siemens and RBS in business, and a host of people in between!

Steve has coached with distinction in the Premiership and Championship in Soccer and World Cup, European Cup and Premiership in Rugby. 

Paul Blanchard is the Chief Executive of Commonwealth Games England, the organisation responsible for leading and managing the participation of Team England at the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games. The next Commonwealth Games in 2022 will be hosted in Birmingham.

With a career spanning more than 25 years in the sports industry, Paul has extensive experience of working for some of the country’s best known organisations, including the Scottish Premier League, the NFL, Southampton FC,  Harlequins Rugby League and The Oval. Prior to joining Commonwealth Games England, Paul was the Chief Executive of the Surrey Sports Park, an elite training and event facility based at the University of Surrey. He was also Chair of Active Surrey, the county sports partnership.

Lawrence Bruno Nero Dallaglio OBE is one of the true icons of British sport and one of the outstanding and compelling figures in England Rugby history.

Regarded as one of the world’s greatest ever back row forwards Lawrence achieved everything there is to achieve in Rugby for both club and country.

Lawrence is immensely proud to have captained his country during an England career that saw him capped 85 times. He won the inaugural Rugby World Cup 7s in 1993 and of course, the 2003 Rugby World Cup, where he was the only player to play in every minute of every match during England’s successful campaign in Australia. This achievement also made Lawrence one of only two northern hemisphere players to hold world cup winners medals in both the 7s and 15 man game. He also played on three British and Irish Lions Tours winning a series in South Africa in 1997.

Lawrence was a one club man and from joining London Wasps in 1990 to his retirement in 2008 he had a stellar career with the London Club captaining them to Victory in 5 Premiership titles, 3 League Cups and 3 European trophies. He now sits on their Board.

Since retiring from rugby Lawrence has established a number of business and commercial relationships. He launched a Sports Marketing Agency – BBH Sport; delivering strategy, creative and execution for a variety of clients including England 2015, LTA, RFU, Samsung and Adidas. He is also an ambassador of Land Rover Globally.

In addition to his commercial relationships, Lawrence also undertakes an impressive measure of charity work under the umbrella of his own charity Dallaglio RugbyWorks. RugbyWorks through its social inclusion works with teenagers who have been excluded from mainstream education, on a long term development programme that aims to get them into sustained education, employment or training.

In March 2013, Lawrence signed with BT Sport to become the leading rugby union expert. Lawrence’s venture began with BT Sport’s exclusive coverage of up to 69 live matches a season from the Aviva Premiership. He features both as a BT Sport co-commentator for some live matches and studio pundit for other live clashes.

He is also a well-respected columnist for The Sunday Times.

Lawrence’s outstanding achievements were recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, where he was awarded an MBE (2004) and an OBE (2008).

A keen Chelsea supporter he lives in Richmond, West London and is married to Alice. They have three children – Ella, Josie and Enzo.

Mark Davies was appointed Chairman of British Rowing in March 2018.

Davies began his career in the City with JPMorgan, before moving on to spend five years working in media – broadcasting and producing for BBC Sport on Radio Five Live and News24, and writing about cricket and rowing for the Daily Telegraph.

He became part of the team that set up and launched Betfair, the sports betting company, in June 2000, and he spent the next decade as the public face of that business, working with Governments and sports bodies round the world.

Davies has been a Trustee of SportsAid since 2011, and on the Board of Archery GB, which he chairs, since 2015. A volunteer in a number of sectors, he is chairing an Onside Youth Zones project to build a state-of-the-art facility for underprivileged children in Hammersmith, and is a Governor of Holyport College, a state boarding school in Berkshire.

Niels has nearly twenty years experience in the Sports Business, stretching back to 1999 when he joined the Organising Committee of the Manchester Commonwealth Games as Commercial Director, responsible for ticketing, broadcast, marketing and the cultural festival.  The huge success of 2002 is popularly seen as a watershed moment for the UK, leading to an unrivalled few decades of hosting many of the world’s biggest events, including London 2012.

After a stint as CEO of Premiership Rugby Club Sale Sharks, whom he guided to the Championship Trophy in 2006, Niels joined UK Athletics.  In his ten years there he oversaw a dramatic upturn in the results of the GB team, including record medal performances in both Olympic and Paralympics, with the GB team now a regular top 5 performer on the global stage making it one of our most successful sports.  Niels also instigated an aggressive plan to bid for, and run, international events as a means to drive revenue and awareness in the UK.  Since 2007 UKA has hosted 2 European indoor championships, one world indoor championships, 2 world half marathons, the European team championships and, in 2017, the first ever joint hosting of the IAAF and IPC World Athletics Championships.

In Sept 2017 Niels left UKA to set up FABRIC GROUP Ltd – a specialist consultancy advising businesses, federations, cities and governments invest in their communities through sport, the arts and charity.  He is currently retained by the Board of USA 2021 World Atheltics Championships to provide strategic planning advice and Board assurance.

Bio to follow.

Duncan’s Olympic success taught him the value of breaking the status quo and sparked a lifelong belief in the massive benefits of sport and its unique positive impact on peoples live – a belief Duncan has worked tirelessly to promote throughout his business life.

Duncan is a Director and one of the Founders of Limelight Sports Group, a market sector leader in the Active World, and is Chairman of Premier Education Group PLC., which is also a market leader in its sectors in the Active World and School Improvement and Training sectors.

In addition, Duncan is the President of Swimathon (whose swimmers have raised in excess of £50m for 33 charities), a Trustee of the first ever organisation, SportsAid, to achieve charitable status for sport, Co-Founder and VP of Youth Sport Trust, board member of Youth Sport Trust International and Founding Chairman of the Millfield Foundation

What you may not know about Duncan

After retiring from competitive swimming, he was selected by the British Bobsleigh Association to represent Great Britain at the 1981 European Championships in the 2 and 4 Man Bobsleigh.

Duncan was Deputy Mayor of the London 2012 Olympic Village. He was also one of The Seven Sporting Legends who carried the torch in the Opening Ceremony at London 2012 Olympic Games, passing the torch on to the next generation of sports men and women who lit the Olympic Cauldron.

Duncan is a winner of the Royal Humane Society Award for administering a lifesaving intervention.

Duncan says

“A good day is a one swim day: A great day is a two swim day!”

The PSA is responsible for the organisation and coordination of the official international men’s squash circuit, called the PSA World Tour.

Alex first joined the organisation as a Board Director in 2002 when he was still an active squash professional on the tour. Shortly after his retirement as a player, Alex became the COO of PSA in June 2008, dedicating his time to furthering the growth of the sport that has played such an important role in his life. In February 2009 Alex was appointed CEO of PSA.

As a player, Alex was on the professional squash circuit for 15 years. He was ranked in the world’s top ten for over 28 months and achieved his highest world ranking of 5 in July 1998. During his career he won a total of 10 World Tour titles and a Bronze Medal in the men’s singles event at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. He also represented Wales well over 150 times, the highlight being when Wales narrowly missed out to Egypt in the final of the World Team Championships in 1999 after beating England in the semi-finals.

Alex also holds a 1st Class Honors degree in Mathematics from the University of Wales in Cardiff.

Having become hooked firstly as an Access Sport volunteer, Mark subsequently joined the charity in 2008 as a Project Leader and has been CEO since 2010. Previously Mark worked for 15 years as a lawyer specialising in advocacy, crime and human rights. Over the last seven years Mark has led Access Sport through a period of sustained growth during which time the charity has won a wide range of awards for excellence in delivery, including the BT Sports Industry Award for Best Community Sport Project in 2015 and Sports Business Awards Best Charity, Community & CSR 2017. He is passionate about harnessing the power of sport as a force for good.

Mark has a BA from Oxford University in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, an MA in International Sports Law from Anglia Ruskin University and has represented his native Scotland in athletics.

Richard joined the European Tour in 1983 having worked previously with a sports promotion agency. He worked across all of the Tour’s departments before being appointed Ryder Cup Director in 1993. As Ryder Cup Managing Director, Richard orchestrated and held ultimate responsibility for successful Ryder Cup Matches in Europe and the USA culminating in the largest ever staging in Paris with a total attendance of 300,000 and the now famous ‘First Tee’ grandstand.

Possessing a depth of experience drawn from key involvement in the evolution and development of the European Tour and the Ryder Cup, Richard is a highly experienced and respected figure within the sporting world.

Andy Hunt is the CEO of World Sailing, having taken the helm of the International Federation in early 2016. With a lifelong passion for sailing and sport, Andy is the former CEO of the British Olympic Association and Chef de Mission for Team GB which achieved its best performance in 104 years at the London 2012 Games.  Hunt was a non-executive Director of the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games and is currently a non-executive Director of England Hockey and Gloucester Rugby and has had a highly successful career across both sport and business over the past 30 years.

Twitter: @denislaw    @podgeevents

Phil has a background in design and digital and was chosen by BIMA to be inaugurated in the Digital Hall of Fame for his contribution to digital transformation over the previous decade

The digital world couldn’t be further away from Phil’s 5-year apprenticeship as a hot-metal compositor and his founding of typography specialists APT, which he grew to 100 staff during the 80’s before successfully selling the business to a top ad agency.  Phil then became MD of Real Time Studio in 1991 and grew a digital team to 100, becoming one of the leading digital agencies in the UK before successfully merging with DM agencies EHS and Brann, where Phil became Vice Chairman of the 350 strong agency.

Amongst his design and digital highlights was a ten year online relationship with www.Diesel.com, and creating the first ever website for Canon UK and Canon Europe and the online launches of the new MINI, the first Premier League and Sport England websites, and the launch of England Fans for the Football Association. His team also created the identities for UK Sport, UK Athletics, The British Tourist Authority and the FA’s bid to host the 2006 World Cup along the way.

Phil formed his own consultancy www.realtime.co.uk in 2004 to allow him to act as an advisor and mentor for creative, sports and digital businesses. It was back in 1994 that Phil founded the now famous podge lunches: Design, Digital, Sport & Music gatherings – now on www.podgeevents.com.  The annual Sports Podge lunch is now 13 years old and many of this year’s judges are regular attendees at www.sportspodge.co.uk.

Phil is married to Babs, has two children and two beautiful grandchildren.

Chester King is a co-owner of the International Group of companies, which was founded in 1964. International Group has worked in 52 countries and completed 500 healthcare, leisure and sporting projects. Clients have included 24 Governments, 3 Royal Families, United Nations, the Football Association, the Miami Dolphins and Wanda Group.

International Group owns and operates International Hospitals Group (www.ihg.co.uk) and Stoke Park, the UK’s leading country club and 5 star hotel (www.stokepark.com).

Chester has over 24 years senior management experience within the advertising, marketing, sports, esports and leisure industries.

Chester is the CEO of the eGames Group, which created The eGames, an international esports competition where Pro Gamers represent their country for medals and not prize money. The eGames was showcased in Rio 2016 alongside the Olympics within British House (www.egames.org).

Chester also founded the ‘British Esports Association’ in 2016 – the national body for esports in the UK whose main aims are to help develop the UK’s grassroots esports scene and provide an infrastructure to nurture future British talent. (www.britishesports.org).

Kenneth “Kenny” Logan is a retired Scottish rugby union player who played wing for Stirling County RFC and Glasgow District at amateur level; Glasgow Warriors, Wasps RFC and London Scottish at professional level; and Scotland at international level. He won three English Premierships with Wasps RFC; and one Scottish Premiership title with Stirling County RFC in 1995, just before the game turned professional. Logan and his wife Gabby took part in the fifth series of the BBC celebrity dancing programme Strictly Come Dancing. Kenny was partnered with Ola and Gabby was partnered with James Jordan. Logan ended in 5th place. Gabby finished in 12th place.

Hamish is the Chief Executive of British Shooting, Director of 3forty3 Sports Consultancy and a member of the National Olympic Committee. He has been at the forefront of some of the most exciting and successful initiatives in sport in the UK over the past 20 years.

A former international athlete, he is also Non-executive Director of England Lacrosse, and has been a consultant and policy adviser to a range of national and international sports bodies. At Sport England he was Head of Governing Bodies, which followed two years as Head of World Class Programmes, and also served as a Director with the World Confederation of Billiard Sports for three years.

Hamish has played a part in the successful Team England set-ups of the last three Commonwealth Games including at the Manchester 2002 Games where he was part of the technical committee. He also assisted with the London 2012 Olympic Games’ venue and technical planning process.

Sally is CEO of England and Great Britain Hockey having previously worked for the LTA and in local authority sport and leisure.  She has been instrumental in increasing the popularity for hockey in the UK with the vision to achieve ‘a nation where hockey matters’ and since the London 2012 Olympics participation of young people playing has almost doubled.

Under the leadership of Sally England Hockey has won the rights to host four major international tournaments including the record breaking 2018 Vitality Women’s Hockey World Cup that saw almost 120k spectators and the event broadcast in 134 countries to an audience of almost half a billion.

In 2016 the Senior Women won their first ever Olympic Gold medal during the Rio Olympics making history for hockey in GB.

Sally is also an NED on the Boards of the English Institute of Sport and the Youth Sport Trust and sits as a member of the governments Sports Business Council.

Jane Nickerson became Swim England CEO in 2017 having held a range of senior management posts during her 20 years at the organisation. These included Head of Administration, Director of Operations and latterly Chief Operating Officer.

Jane has a deep understanding of the sport through the eyes of a swimmer and through her involvement in regional governance. As a youngster she swam competitively for City of Coventry reaching national championship standard, and during the 1990s, was an England and Great Britain swimming team manager.

Jane graduated with B Ed majoring in History and English after studying Ethnography in France for 12 months. Outside of work, Jane continues to enjoying swimming for relaxation and is committed to her voluntary work with the Samaritans.

It is Jane’s belief that with positive thinking directed in the right direction, everything is possible.

Ali is the Chief Executive at the Youth Sport Trust, an independent charity devoted to changing young people’s lives through sport.

Ali joined  the Youth Sport Trust in 2004 and has fulfilled the roles of Implementation Director,  Sport Director and Managing Director before becoming the CEO in July 2015. Prior to this Ali was the Deputy Director of Sport at the University of Bath having initially been the course leader for the initial teacher training programme for Physical Education. Before this Ali was Head of PE at Millfield School, having started her career as teacher in Essex.

During her career Ali has worked with and on behalf of a range of other organizations.  She supported the British Olympic Foundation’s education programme back in 2004 and delivered the Paralympic Inspiration Programme on behalf of the British Paralympic Association in London 2012.  Ali led LOCOG’s Youth Panel, and is a member of the selection panel for the Young Sports Personality of the Year.  She is currently a Board member of the Healthy Learning Trust, a Trustee of Chance to Shine, and an advisor to Sheffield Hallam University on their Sport strategy.   Ali has also worked on a number of international assignments including a project with Sport & Recreation South Africa which was part of the International Inspiration Programme.

On Monday August 3, 2015, Canadian Keith Pelley became the fourth Chief Executive in the history of The European Tour. Prior to joining The European Tour, he was President of Rogers Media in Toronto where he was responsible for leading the overall operations of the company’s diverse portfolio, including Television, Radio, Publishing, Digital Media, The Shopping Channel, subscription-based content services, Toronto Blue Jays, and Rogers Centre. Before that, he was Executive Vice-President of Strategic Planning at CTVglobemedia, President of Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium – which won a record seven awards for its coverage of Vancouver 2010 – President and CEO of the Toronto Argonauts Football Club, and President of The Sports Network in Canada, a company he first joined as an Editorial Assistant in 1986. He is a graduate of Ryerson University with a BA in Radio and Television Arts, and also received an ATCL diploma from Trinity College in London.

Annamarie Phelps CBE OLY is Vice Chair of the British Olympic Association, Chair of the Safeguarding Adults in Sport Strategic Partnership and an advocate for safe and inclusive sport for all. Former Chairman of British Rowing and former Vice Chair of the British Paralympic Association, she helped steer both membership organisations through considerable change in structure and governance. In 2017 she was elected to the European Rowing Board, acts as Commonwealth Liaison for FISA, and is a member of the IF Governance Working Group.

Annamarie chaired the Cycling Independent Review Panel into the culture and climate of British Cycling’s high performance programmes and supported the DCMS ‘Duty of Care Report’, 2017. As Deputy Chairman at British Rowing 2002-2013, she designed and implemented safeguarding, anti-doping, governance and equality policies.

A former World Champion in Women’s Lightweight Coxless Fours, she represented Great Britain in the women’s eight at the Atlanta Olympic Games, 1996. 

Matthew Porter has been Chief Executive of the Professional Darts Corporation since January 2008, as well as a director of the PDC’s parent company, Matchroom Sport.

During that time, he has overseen the progress of the sport to unprecedented levels where it now pays out in excess of £14m prize money annually and has introduced a structure which provides a pathway from picking up a dart for the first time to being crowned World Champion, with the introduction of Development and Challenge Tours, as well as a World Series for elite players.

Porter was Chief Executive of Leyton Orient FC when the club was owned by Matchroom, as well as serving on the board of The Football League. In 2006 he was appointed as the youngest chief executive in English football by O’s chairman Barry Hearn, aged just 26. His appointment coincided with the Club’s promotion to League 1 and he oversaw their progression to an established side in the division which included narrowly missing out on promotion at the end of the 2013/14 season before the Club was sold.

Mike’s appointment as CEO of the British Paralympic Association follows a 30 year international business career with BP, where his latter roles included oil director Vietnam, retail director Netherlands and Managing Director Benelux. His final role was to lead BP’s tier 1 partnership with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and with the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. His association with the BPA as a commercial partner goes back over 10 years and he has also enjoyed a close working relationship with the International Paralympic Committee since that time.

Mike is a qualified executive coach and obtained an MSc in Coaching and Behavioural Change from the Henley Business School in 2018.

David Sheepshanks CBE DL is the founding and current Chairman of the St George’s Park National Football Centre and former Chairman of Ipswich Town FC. He is also chairman of UK Community Foundations (UKCF), the umbrella organisation for all community foundations in the UK, providing philanthropic advice to clients and delivering UK-wide grant-making programmes. Other business interests include non Executive roles with Coutts Bank, 21st Club and Onside Law. Past business interests included Starfish Ltd 1980-1990 and Suffolk Foods Ltd which he founded in 1990 with his brother Rick and where he was Chairman and a majority shareholder before selling in 2004. He also served externally on various local radio station Boards including Chairman of VIBE FM in 1990 and Director of Radio Orwell and BBC Radio Suffolk Advisory Board.

Sara was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Table Tennis England in July 2013. Since then the organisation has undergone considerable governance reform, a relocation of the head office and a restructure of the professional staff. Sara is a qualified solicitor who moved from private practice into sports administration in 2001 when she joined the British Olympic Association as its Director of Legal (and latterly also of HR). Sara’s 12 years at the BOA encompassed 6 Olympic Games as well as an instrumental role in the successful London 2012 bid.

Upon leaving the BOA at the end of 2012, Sara took up non executive directorships on the Boards of British Gymnastics and GB Taekwondo. She is also Deputy Chair of the European Table Tennis Union’s Women’s Committee and a member of the ITTF’s Rules Committee.