30 Sep 2021
Tanni Grey-Thompson to step down as ukactive chair in 2022
BY Tom Walker
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson will step down from her role as ukactive chair in 2022, after spending more than six years with the organisation.
The 11-time Paralympic gold medallist joined ukactive in 2015, taking over from former chair Fred Turok and tasked with raising the national profile of physical activity and the importance of the sector.
Tanni, who is also a peer in the House of Lords, will officially end her term as chair in August 2022.
She will use her last ukactive Conference speech on 13 October to reflect on the progress made by the physical activity sector during her tenure, set out plans for her final year as chair and look to the future growth of the industry.
Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said “It has been an incredible honour to work with Tanni during her time as Chair of ukactive, especially throughout my period as CEO from August 2019.
“She has been the greatest champion our members could possibly have had over the past six years, with an unrivalled belief and enthusiasm for the role physical activity plays in improving people’s lives.
"She has taken this belief and enthusiasm into every meeting and every event she’s had on behalf of our members, unrelenting in her quest to help them grow and develop.
“Furthermore, her support to me, the team, and the wider sector in the past 18 months of the COVID pandemic has been fundamental to the survival and continued recovery of the sector.
“I know Tanni still has a considerable amount she wants to achieve in her final year, which she will set out in her Conference speech, and she will have the full support of ukactive and the sector in achieving these ambitions.
Commenting on her final year, Tanni said: “I still have an important year ahead and I'm immensely proud of the progress we have made and the leadership ukactive has shown, from the development of a world-class Board to forming a uniquely talented team, developing innovative ways to add value to our members, and uniting the voice of the industry during the pandemic."
The recruitment process for the new chair of ukactive is planned through a search firm, Starfish Search, with details to be announced in October.
The ukactive Board expects to confirm the appointment in Spring 2022.
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