Advisory Boards

Biography

Rob co-founded Switch The Play, having seen both the positive and negative sides of transition in sport and deciding that there was a need to support the industry in helping to ensure that transition, whenever it occurs, can be stepping stone to achieving other great things in life. Rob's experience across a range of roles in sport includes Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games, work with National Governing Bodies of sport, professional sport, national and local government, and further and higher education. For six years Rob worked on the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, for which he was awarded an MBE in 2013. Rob became CEO of Switch the Play in February 2021. 

Biography

Beth is an Olympic Bronze Medalist, a triple World Champion, a six-time European Champion, a Commonwealth Champion and seven-times consecutive National Champion. In 2007, she graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with 2:1 in Sports Science. In 2010, she received an MBE for her success, commitment and dedication to gymnastics. Beth has now set up her own company Beth Tweddle Gymnastics which gives as many children as possible the opportunity to experience the sport. Beth also has commitments within Switch the Play to ensure athletes are having positive experiences during their transitions in sport.

Biography

Emma is a former international badminton player who represented Scotland at European, Commonwealth, and World Championship level. Emma remains passionate about her sport and is a Director of Badminton Europe and a Badminton World Federation Council Member.

In her professional life, Emma is the Vice President for Strategic and External Affairs at the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI). WFSGI is the global representative body for the sporting goods industry and its members (sport brands, manufacturers, and retailers) comprise over 70% of the industry by annual turnover.

Having overcome her own challenges, Emma is also committed to providing greater support for athletes transitioning from their sporting careers to life after sport. 
Emma previously worked as a sports lawyer dealing with a range of regulatory and commercial issues. She has an undergraduate degree in Chemistry, is a graduate of UK Sport’s International Leadership Programme, and a WeAreTheCity Rising Star in Sport.

Biography

Mitch has been with Switch the Play since 2014, and moved into a Trustee role in 2020. In our formative years, Mitch helped the organisation grow using StP as the organisation through which he completed consultancy projects with the Premier League, AoC Sport and BUCS. This included his leadership work in convening a group of experts to design and secure approval for the Level Sporting Excellence Professional Apprenticeship Standard which is delivered across professional sport academy environments. He has experience and networks across the sporting landscape working in and around talent pathways and player welfare for over 15 years. Mitch has a portfolio of interests including another charitable trustee role with the Coach Core Foundation; Board and NED roles with Sport for Confidence, Propel Teams, Transcend Awards and Karalius Education; and works in the people development space through his Sporting People brand where he supports organisations to take a modern and ambitious approach to leadership, governance and coaching.

Biography

Emma is passionate about the power of sport to make positive changes to peoples lives.

Biography

Biography

Helen Roberts is the Player Care Manager at Aston Villa Football Club specialising in athlete and elite teams wellbeing and personal development for performance, having worked within Olympic/Paralympic and Higher Education sport previously. Helen has a MSc Sport and Exercise Science and a PGDip in Mentoring and Coaching which help form a flourishing person centred holistic development philosophy.

Biography

A progressive career in management and coaching of athletes to international level in rowing; tutored individuals and teams to achieve gold and silver medals at World Championship events with the Great Britain Rowing Team. Currently Women’s Coach at Oxford Brookes University Boat Club, having previously worked at Harvard University, USA and the University of London

Biography

Lynsey has worked for Nielsen Sports in the UK since 2016 and heads up Client Strategy, providing strategic insights and measurement to major brand & rights holders clients. Lynsey has also taken on the role of Women's Sport global lead, driving forward Nielsen Sport's focus on supporting the sports industry to develop Women's sport through data.

Lynsey has 15 years experience in the sport's industry, both rights holder side with Williams F1 and on major brand's sponsorship activation, including Land Rover and Lucozade Sport. Outside of her career, Lynsey achieved 30 caps for Scotland including playing in two Rugby World Cups and was previously chair of Wasps Ladies FC.

Biography

Dr Matthew Green is Senior Elite Performance Manager at the Premier League, working with First Teams and Academies across the areas of science, medicine, talent identification, psychology, performance analysis and loan management. Before joining the Premier League in 2017, Matt worked at West Bromwich Albion FC for 10-seasons, where he was First Team Fitness Coach and led the Club’s sport science programme. Matt has a Professional Doctorate in Applied Sport and Exercise Science and is a Fellow of The British Association of Sport & Exercise Sciences (BASES).

Biography

Richard works at British Gymnastics as National Education Programme Manager, overseeing the national pathway of coaches from development through to high performance. Prior to this, Richard started his career at Loughborough University, where he worked after graduating, before moving onto work for the English Institute of Sport as a Performance Lifestyle Advisor. Here he worked with Taekwondo, Para-Cycling and Boxing during the Tokyo 2016 Olympic cycle, qualifying as an Executive Coach and Mentor in the process. Richard also sits on the Squash Wales Board as Director of Sport. Richard hopes to bring his experience and passion from his various roles to support Switch The Play in achieving its ambitions moving forward.

Biography

Tom Brown brings over 14 years of experience playing professional rugby. Capped at International level and with over 100 appearances for Edinburgh Rugby and most recently, Scotland 7s. Tom holds a Private Pilots Licence (PPL) and is currently training for his Commercial Pilots Licence (CPL) at ACS Flight Training in Perth, Scotland. He holds a BSc in Human Biology from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.

Biography

Rob co-founded Switch The Play, having seen both the positive and negative sides of transition in sport and deciding that there was a need to support the industry in helping to ensure that transition, whenever it occurs, can be stepping stone to achieving other great things in life. Rob's experience across a range of roles in sport includes Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games, work with National Governing Bodies of sport, professional sport, national and local government, and further and higher education. For six years Rob worked on the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, for which he was awarded an MBE in 2013. Rob became CEO of Switch the Play in February 2021. 

Biography

An award winning creative, commercial and communications director, Stacey has succeeded in delivering financial success, developing exceptional corporate teams and a marketing pioneer to boot. Currently a Commercial and Marketing Director for sports and entertainment agency CSM Live, along with a NED for the Rugby League World Cup 2021, when Stacey isn’t in the board room she can be found practicing her martial arts and passion for sky diving! Stacey assists the charity with all areas of governance, predominantly supporting the Foundation with fundraising and marketing.

Biography

Alex is CEO of Power2Inspire, an inclusive sports charity with a vision that ‘nobody is left on the bench’. He is also Head Coach for the Swedish Men’s Rugby Union National XV, who recently won a Grand Slam and Promotion to Rugby Europe Trophy. Further roles include being Chair of Trustees for the British Gymnastics Foundation as well as sitting on the Inclusion Advisory Group for British Canoeing, and the Loughborough University Alumni Board

Biography

Daniel is passionate about sports development at all levels of sport. He is The Football Association’s Head of Strategy & Business Services for the grassroots game and the former Chair of East London Hockey Club. In both organisations he has led the development and delivery of long-term, purpose-focused strategies that place people at their heart. His strategy expertise was refined whilst working at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and in the strategy team at Barclaycard. In his spare time Daniel still coaches, umpires and plays hockey.

Biography

Mark's background is in the Automotive Industry, he is a trained technician and has worked in customer service with brands such as Lotus, Mercedes Jaguar Land Rover. Mark is currently an Aftersales Controller for a Honda Dealership. Married for over 36 years and have two grown-up children aged 24 and 27.

Sport has always been a big part of Mark's life; he used to play football and cricket with his father and in later years he moved more into Rugby. He recently look the RFU Level 1 Coaching badge and has enjoyed going into schools coaching rugby and carrying out the role of Schools Liaison for a local Rugby Club.

Mark has assisted athletes with facilitating introductions to a trusted network of companies within Sport and Business. Mark is thrilled to join Switch the Play Foundation Advisory board as he believes that having a trusted support network around you is so important.