Sport England

Mary McAnally (Chair)
Former Managing Director of Meridian Broadcasting, Mary was originally a programme maker with the BBC and Thames Television, responsible for a wide range of award-winning factual and consumer series.

Before embarking on her television career, Mary was an international tennis player, playing at Wimbledon for 4 years, representing England and playing in Surrey’s Championship winning teams for 10 years.

Her former public appointments include 9 years as a Member of the National Consumer Council, 6 years as a Board Member of SEEDA and two terms as an Independent Member of the DTI's Executive Board.

Paul Millman (Vice Chair)
Paul began his business career at Guinness PLC in 1971 as a management trainee and became Managing Director of Merrydown PLC in 1994.

Paul was an international squash player, with 52 caps. He was also a County cricket player in Gloucestershire, and is currently Chief Executive of Kent County Cricket Club and Secretary to Kent County Board.

John Cove
John joined Milton Keynes Council in 1986 and is now Head of Community and Economic Development with responsibility for Leisure Services, Adult Continuing Education, Libraries, Community Development, Economic Development, Youth Service and Culture.

Originally from London, John started his working life in Play and Youth work. He holds coaching certificates in football and cricket and established a youth football team in central London. John is also vice chairman of the national charity 4Children, which develops out of school provision for children and raises awareness of children’s issues generally.

Martin Elson
Martin is Professor in Planning at the Department of Planning, Oxford Brookes University, where he teaches and researches in the areas of sport, leisure and recreation planning and provision.

He has carried out extensive research on planning policies for sport for DETR (ODPM) and Sport England, in particular relating to planning guidance in PPG17 Open Space, Sport and Recreation (2002). He is currently working to improve the level of contributions made by developers of new housing to new sport and recreation provision, and is a member of the Policy Council of the Town and Country Planning Association.

His personal sporting interests include playing golf, swimming, and supporting rugby union and county cricket.

David Knight
David started at Portsmouth City Council in 1985 as Recreation Officer and was the City’s Chief Leisure Officer for 12 years. He is an adviser to the Local Government Association, and a former member of the Sport England Lottery Panel. He is also Chair of the DCMS Education sub group for the National Sports Plan.

David was Lead Officer for the Tour de France, Portsmouth in 1994.

Sue Mappin
Sue is a self-employed leisure consultant with extensive connections in the sport and leisure industry.

She is an international tennis player and represented Britain in the Wightman cup for a number of years. Sue has worked with the LTA with coaching schemes and encouraging young people into tennis, and in 1990 she was appointed by the Sports Council to the Coaching Review Panel. She is currently a director and trustee of the Cliff Richard Tennis Development Trust.

Julie Maskery
Julie is currently Head of Leisure Services at Waverley Borough Council responsible for Sport and Recreation, Museums, Parks, Grounds Maintenance, Arts, Countryside and Community Development.

Before joining Waverley Borough Council Julie worked for both Guildford Borough Council and London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames in both strategic and operational roles within Leisure.

She graduated from college of Ripon & York St John with a BA (Hons) in Human Movement, Dance and Recreation Management and whilst at University represented the College in Netball. I have always enjoyed participating in sport which has included playing, coaching and umpiring netball and recently taking up golf.

Candy Morris
Candy , formerly Chief Executive of Kent & Medway Strategic Health Authority, was seconded to Surrey & Sussex Strategic Health Authority as Chief Executive in November 2005.   Candy was appointed on 1st July 2006 as the Chief Executive of the newly formed South East Coast Strategic Health Authority (which incorporates the former Kent & Medway and Surrey & Sussex Strategic Health Authorities).

Candy is married and lives in Horsham, West Sussex.  She joined the NHS as a National Trainee and worked in all sectors of the NHS in the North West and Trent before moving south in 2000.  She was Chief Executive of Scunthorpe and Goole Hospitals Trust for eight years, then was appointed Chief Executive of West Sussex Health Authority in October 2000, taking on East Surrey Health Authority as well in June 2001.  In January 2002 she took up post with the new Kent and Medway Strategic Health Authority.

She is a member of the National Strategic Partnership Forum, Chairs the National Burns Care Group, and is the SE NHS member for the South East England Regional Assembly.

David Smith
David was appointed to the South East Regional Sports Board in April 2006. He is the Area Director for Learning and Skills Council Sussex, a Board Member of Culture South East and a member of the South East Regional Olympic Co-ordinating Group. He has been with the LSC since 2001 and has led the development of Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) in the South East Region as well as steering the ‘Action for Business’ network of FE Colleges specialising in employer engagement in key employing sectors.

David’s interest in the relationship between sport and learning and skills development has seen him establish, in Sussex;

• A Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) in Sport and Recreation, with four contributing partner colleges and the University of Brighton.
• A network of football club based learning centres, headed by Brighton and Hove Albion and linking professional and semi-professional clubs with learning across Sussex
• Alternative sports-related curriculum experiences for 14-16 year olds in Sussex who thrive when their learning is linked to sport and recreation.

Prior to joining the LSC, David was a Vice Principal in two Further Education Colleges in the South East and a visiting lecturer in educational management at the University of Brighton. He is a trained teacher and a sports veteran in cricket, football and tennis, having twice won three football ‘blues’ at Oxford University and scoring twice at the old Wembley stadium when the Varsity match was played there.