Snowsport England are delighted to announce the appointments of four new Independent Non -Executive Directors who joined the board in October 2023.
Following a highly competitive recruitment campaign, full of high calibre candidates, the following appointments have been made:
- Victoria Wells
- Blessing Ekairia
- Kahlen Macaulay
- Anna Turner
As the current Head of Sport at the Youth Sport Trust, Victoria Wells, is already very familiar with the sporting landscape and the inequalities that need to be overcome. As the strategic lead for National Governing Bodies in the Children and Young People space, a National SEND Advocate and a former Global Change Mentor for the Special Olympics, we are delighted to be welcoming such a powerful and inspirational advocate for young people into our sport. Victoria said, “I am passionate about helping young people discover a sport they find inspiring, accessible and meaningful and I cannot wait to make sure that sport is Snowsport!”.
Blessing Ekairia is a Management Consultant and Entrepreneur, being one of the founding members of Mount Noire, a Ski and Snowboarding community dedicated to increasing representation of black and under-represented communities in Snowsport. Blessing is a fantastic addition to our Board and will be pivotal in helping us drive forward our progress in increasing opportunities to open the sport up to a wider audience, bringing new participants into the sport, tackling inequalities and ensuring historically underrepresented groups are drawn into our sport. Blessing knows just how daunting it can be when entering a new sport and is always keen to answer the questions you might be too worried to ask so as to make your journey into skiing or snowboarding as easy as possible. When appointed to the position Blessing noted “I am a keen recreational skier and am passionate about getting more people from ethnic minority backgrounds into snowsport”.
Kahlen Macaulay will be bringing a wealth of experience from his career in digital, media and technology within sport including his current work for Snapchat where he leads Sports Partnerships and his previous roles at the International Olympic Committee, talkSPORT, ESPN and Pulselive. Kahlen grew up in Austria and Switzerland with a lifelong affinity to Snowsport, which he is now looking forward to sharing with his children. Upon accepting the position, Kahlen said “I believe the joy of sport has a unique power to bring people together”. With this outlook and his engagement expertise, Kahlen will be instrumental in delivering our participation strategic objectives, particularly when engaging young people within our sport.
Anna Turner is a Chartered Accountant with experience of working in both the corporate and charity sectors. She has enjoyed roles in finance for the London 2012 Olympics and the Sydney Opera House and is currently Head of Finance for a charity in Buckinghamshire. She has been passionate about skiing since learning on the slopes of Sheffield Ski Village as a child. With her financial and corporate background Anna will provide excellent know how and knowledge to our Board. Anna said, “I cannot wait to begin my role with Snowsport England and to play a part in not only Inspiring Participation In Snowsport at Every Level but to ensure our sport is in a strong position to grow and develop for generations to come”.
Having made the appointments Dominic McGonigal, Chair of the Board said “I am thrilled to have welcomed the new additions to our Board. As you can see from their tremendous skillsets, experience and passion for Snowsport, we have recruited strong people to help us push forward against our strategic aims and to deliver for our members and the wider sport. It is an exciting time for Snowsport England, and we feel confident that with the continued hard work of the Board, staff and volunteers, we will ensure snowsport really does Inspire Participation At Every Level.”