Our Governance

Julia is currently chair of GB Taekwondo, where she has been a champion of female athletes and she will continue her role there alongside her position at Women in Sport until the end of her term.

Julia started her career at Nike in the U.S before co-founding sports marketing agency, Shine Communications. Over 15 years she helped grow Shine from a team of two to more than eighty, and worked with global sports brands including: Dunlop, Slazenger, Puma, and Reebok. Julia also set up the charity, the Rural Refugee Network, which has worked both regionally and nationally to resettle refugees from Syria and other war-torn regions in rural parts of the UK.

Susan Young is a chartered accountant with over 20 years financial management experience across a diverse range of roles with some of the UK’s largest companies.

Susan is currently acting as Chair whilst we conclude a process of recruitment. She also is also acting as Chair of the Governance and Nominations Committee.

She is currently Head of Customer Migration, Strategy and Planning, Personal Banking at RBS.

Susan is a former member of the Scottish national ski team and has coached at club level and served on numerous club committees.

Susan joined the board in 2016.

Mark Chapman is well-known as one of the country’s leading sports presenters, after coming to prominence working on BBC Radio 1 with Sara Cox and Scott Mills. He joined Radio 5Live to host 5Live Sport in 2010 and now also presents Match of the Day 2 on BBC Sport and the BBC NFL show. With 15 years’ experience working in sports media, a son and two daughters, Chapman is a keen advocate of equal opportunities across the board for both men and women to participate and work within sport.

“I have watched and indeed am still watching my three children go through the grass roots youth sporting system,” says Mark Chapman. “Two things have struck me. The first is that I have witnessed mixed football and cricket teams for at least a decade, and this quite rightly is seen as the norm for that generation. The second is that whilst progress has been made, there are still plenty more sporting opportunities for my son than for my daughters. I hope that by joining the board of Women in Sport I can harness the positivity of today’s kids while helping to break down the barriers that still exist.”

Dr Steven Mann is a Director at international sports consultancy 4GLOBAL where he’s responsible for working with governments, cities, and NGOs. Previously Steven worked as the Healthy Communities Director at Places Leisure and was also Research Director at UK Active.

Steven has led on a number of large-scale evaluation and research studies, having developed and led the UK Active Research Institute that aims to generate knowledge, identify and promote best practice, and establish a reliable evidence base of what works in getting more people active.

He has been at Trustee at Women in Sport since February 2019.

British ultra-runner Sophie Power became a household name in 2019, after a photo of her breastfeeding her 3-month-old baby at an aid station of the 106-mile Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc went viral. Power, who started running in 2009, finished the UTMB in just under 44 hours, and has also run several of the world’s most famous ultra-races including the Marathon des Sables across the Sahara and the 153-mile, non-stop Spartathlon in Greece. With a career in finance and as a tech entrepreneur, as well as being mother to two boys, Sophie is hugely passionate about ensuring women are able to set aside time for their own fitness and mental health.

“I’m excited and honoured to be joining Women in Sport,” says Sophie Power.  “Sport has such huge benefits not for not only our physical but also our mental health.  More than ever now we need to increase the support and opportunity for women to participate in sport – at every level, in every form and at every time of their lives.”

Nick Rusling is a passionate believer in getting more people involved in sport and has 20 years’ experience of overseeing sporting events. Rusling was CEO of mass participation events company Human Race, with a current portfolio that spans running, cycling and triathlon including the Royal Windsor Triathlon, Tour de Yorkshire Ride and the Manchester Marathon. In 2022, Nick became Managing Director of Stepathlon, a “Virtual Race” fan engagement platform.

Nick Rusling commented: “Working in the world of mass participation, I’ve seen first-hand the empowering benefits of sport, and the positive impact it can have on our lives. I firmly believe that everyone should have the opportunity to participate in sport, from competitive activity to everyday habits and I look forward to working with Women in Sport to help achieve this for more women and girls.”

Rusling was previously a Trustee of the Herne Hill Velodrome Trust as well as Chair of the Triathlon Industry Association and brings a wealth of commercial experience and creativity to the Women in Sport board.

Sue Wicks is Director of Soccer Aid at UNICEF UK and sits on our Governance and Nominations Committee.

Sue, who joined the Women in Sport board in 2016, has been involved in grant making for over 15 years and has worked for V, the youth volunteering charity, the Big Lottery Fund, the Charity Commission and Comic Relief. Before taking on her current role at UNICEF UK, she was Director of Partnerships for the British Red Cross.

She is also on the Advisory Board for Beyond Sport.