Sport England has partnered with UK Sport and recruitment specialist Perrett Laver to improve the diversity of board members in the sport and physical activity sector.
New research into diversity in sport governance reveals that women now account for 40% of board members across bodies funded by either Sport England or UK Sport, but that diversity in areas such as ethnicity and disability remains a challenge.
With evidence showing that diverse boards perform better, Perrett Laver is responsible for identifying and developing a pool of senior, experienced candidates from a variety of backgrounds including black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME), disabled and LGBT+ to help organisations develop more diverse boards.
This process kicked off last year as Sport England, with funding from both the National Lottery and the government, invested £400,000 in identifying and enabling diverse candidates to be ‘board ready’. Since then, 84 candidates have been recruited and are now available for appointment, with six having already been made and more expected in the near future.