Professor Laura McAllister from the University of Liverpool Management School has been announced as the new Chair of the Sports Council for Wales.
Laura takes over from the out-going Sports Council for Wales Chair Phil Carling and becomes the first female Chair of the Council. Her term of appointment will commence on 1 February 2010 and will last for three years.
Laura McAllister said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be able to put something back into sport and look forward to leading Wales’s strategy for developing sport at such a crucial time. Sport is at the heart of the Welsh nation and Welsh people are more passionate about sport than virtually anywhere. I will be doing my utmost to encourage more children and adults to become active, whilst also ensuring that we continue to punch above our weight on the international sporting stage.”
Alun Ffred Jones said: “I’m very pleased to appoint Laura McAllister to the post of Chair to the Sports Council for Wales. She brings with her a wealth of experience to the role from a number of different fields, including her current role as the Vice Chair of the Sports Council for Wales. I look forward to working closely with her at this important time for sport and physical activity in Wales. I would also to thank the out-going Chair Phil Carling for his valuable contribution over the past eight years.”
Huw Jones, the Chief Executive of the Sports Council for Wales, said:
“We are delighted with this announcement. Her appointment offers a degree of valuable continuity, and we’re sure to benefit from her vision, experience and knowledge of the sporting, and wider public sector in Wales. Laura is enormously respected by our Senior Management Team, and Sports Council Board members and we’re very much looking forward to working with her in this new capacity.”
Notes to editors:
The University of Liverpool is a member of the Russell Group of leading research-intensive institutions in the UK. It attracts collaborative and contract research commissions from a wide range of national and international organisations valued at more than £93 million annually.