Snowsport England has elected four new members to their board, with an exciting mix of marketing, communications and commercial experience. ...
Nick Ogden, Elly Cockroft, Stuart MacLean and Gareth Winn have joined the National Governing Body at an exciting time for snowsports in England, as participation has risen since the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics just over a year ago.
Entrepreneur Nick Ogden has consistently been at the forefront of innovation in online financial service and internet technologies, founding WorldPay in 1997. Nick was the winner of several entrepreneurial awards, including UK Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010-2011.
Nick said of his ambitions for Snowsport England: “My aim is to grow the sense of national involvement in Snowsports in England by building on strong corporate governance and transparency for athletes and supporters alike so we are clear about our aims, ambitions, qualifications and results. This should help ensure that sponsors have the confidence and appetite to invest and support the family of snowsports that we at Snowsports England represent. “
Stuart MacLean has been somewhat of an online specialist for over 20 years, which has seen him work across a multitude of industries from music to finance, sport and TV. Most recently, he has used this diverse experience to help build women's cycling with Matri Pro Cycling, which has been at the forefront of women's cycling development in the UK since 2010.
Stuart said: “With the investment in facilities in the UK and the success in Sochi last year, we're in an exciting position to build snowsports within England. I hope the successes we've shared at Matrix Pro Cycling and my experiences at building audiences across new and traditional media will help bring different ideas to Snowsport England and raise the level of participation in our sports.”
Elly Cockcroft is the Head of Marketing at Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Lord's Cricket Ground. She has a comprehensive knowledge, understanding and love of the game, as well as the wider commercial sports market.
Elly said: “Having worked and developed my career within cricket I'm looking forward to learning a new sport and its business. All sports organisations, whether public or private, face a number of challenges in today's competitive market place and their ability to foster good relationships with their customers and stakeholders is key to the long term financial health of the sport. I hope I can draw on my experiences to aid the commercial growth of Snowsport England as well as grow membership and participation by finding innovative ways to forge long lasting relationships with customers who align themselves with the national brand for snowsport.” Â
Gareth Winn grew up on snow and dry slopes, being involved in skiing his whole life. He currently makes his living as Communications Director for the EDF Energy division and prior to this he ran the EDF London 2012 Sponsorship programme. He has extensive experience in sponsorship, media relations and corporate communications having been involved with rugby, rowing, football and large scale events throughout a career which has taken him into five different major international companies.
Gareth said: “I am delighted to join the board of Snowsport England to use my experience of sponsorship to help strengthen the commercial proposition to clubs, individual members and others, so we will have more money to invest in inspiring people to ski and snowboard. I love the sport, so it is exciting to get involved like this.”
Tim Fawke, Chief Executive of Snowsports England said of the election of the four new board members: “We are delighted to have four very talented professionals joining our Board at what is a pivotal time for snowsports in this country. They will bring commercial, marketing and communications expertise to our board and organisation, which can only beneficial as we look to continue to grow snowsports in England. With this talent on board I believe Snowsport England are in a great position to flourish as a national governing body, which can only be beneficial for snowsports.”
For more information about Snowsport England visit www.snowsportengland.org.uk