Following on from the announcement of its new Chair, Dr Howard Haughton, Sporting Equals has welcomed four new trustees to their team.
The Charity is grateful to Densign White MBE, who served the maximum term possible as Chair, and outgoing trustees Vanessa Wallace PLY and Urvasi Naidoo. Vanessa will continue to be involved with Sporting Equals through her work as an Ambassador for the charity.
The last two Founding Trustees, Beverley Mason and Lorraine Deschamps MBE, will also be departing within the year having served their maximum terms. The new trustees joining the board are Nikita Smith, Steve Shaw, Lindon Neil and Sherilee Charles, who have a broad range of careers, each of which will add direction, drive and strategy to the mission of Sporting Equals.
Nikita Smith entered the working world specialising in brand, marketing, and strategic communications spanning Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Following a number of appointments to lead employee resource groups and networks focused on gender, race and ethnicity, Nikita pivoted her career to Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness in 2020.
She now serves as a Global DEI specialist at a leading professional services firm, where her passion lies in removing heightened barriers for underrepresented groups and leveraging data to challenge talent systems and processes to increase equitable access and opportunities for the many, not the few. Of joining the board, Nikita said “It is a real honour to join a charity that continues to be an advocate for real change and works relentlessly to eliminate barriers so all communities can thrive.
“In a sector that impacts so many lives, I'm excited to partner with people who are committed to amplifying representation and fostering true inclusion.” Steve Shaw is a seasoned HR professional with over thirty years of experience leading teams in both commercial and not-for-profit sectors.
With more than fifteen years of executive boardroom experience across, housing, technology, advertising and e-commerce, he has spearheaded large teams in organisational transformations enhancing service delivery, engagement and culture. Steve’s core values revolve around sustainability, social mobility, diversity, and inclusion.
He makes material contributions as a Non-Executive Director on Trustee boards and serves as a university governor. Additionally, he acts as a strategic advisor to an organisation specialising in evaluating the sustainability practices of professional sports entities.
Lindon Neil is a Fellow of the Association of Corporate Treasurers (FCT) and recently completed a full five-year term as an Independent NED for ARC Ratings UK Limited and ARC Ratings SA. He is also a Co-Founder and Director of Balbourne Renewable Investments Limited.
Prior to that, Lindon was a Trustee of Stratford Arts Trust and held various Director roles at Wachovia Bank (now Wells Fargo), RBS, Credit Suisse First Boston (now UBS) and Standard & Poor’s. Lindon holds a BA (Hons) in Natural Sciences form Cambridge University and a MSc in Nuclear and Particle Physics from Birkbeck College, University of London.
He (Lindon) is looking forward to being part of the board saying: “I welcome my appointment as a trustee of Sporting Equals and the opportunity to support Dr Howard Haughton, Arun Kang OBE, the other trustees, the team and the other stakeholders.
“I am looking forward to contributing to an organisation that is a standard bearer promoting racial equality and championing the benefits of diversity and inclusion in sport, health and physical activity.” Sherilee Charles has over a decade’s experience as an HR generalist, operating at a senior HR level specifically in the sporting landscape.
She is currently Head of HR at Professional Footballers' Association and previously worked for UK Anti-Doping and UK Sport. She also has a keen interest in sport, particularly football and is a dedicated Arsenal supporter.
Sherilee strongly believes that sport should be accessible and inclusive for all and that it should reflect both society and its participants. The selection committee who made the appointments were particularly excited about the wealth of knowledge and skills which the new trustees have and the strengths which their appointments will bring to the board with areas of expertise in finance, marketing and HR.
Sporting Equals CEO, Arun Kang OBE, said “I am delighted to welcome four new members to the Sporting Equals Board of trustees.
“Their technical skills and lived experiences will bring valuable insight to the charity and help continue the charity’s mission and drive change in the sport and physical activity sector.” Dr Howard Haughton, Chair of the Board of Trustees, added: “With Sporting Equals entering a significant period of strategic change, I'm delighted to welcome new trustees to the board.
“Their fresh perspectives and expertise will be invaluable as we build on Sporting Equals' impressive track record of promoting inclusion in sport and continue to create even greater opportunities for all."
