SPORTS MINISTER Richard Caborn today appointed four new Members to UK Sport’s Council, with Nick Bitel, Louise Martin, Laura McAllister and Constance St Louis bringing a diverse range of knowledge and experience to UK Sport’s boardroom.
The new faces - replacing Members who have stood down after their terms of office have come to an end - will strengthen the Council and support its aim of delivering sporting excellence by supporting winning athletes, world class events and ethically fair and drug-free sport.
Nick Bitel, Chief Executive of the London Marathon and a partner in sports and media law firm Max Bitel Greene, adds membership of UK Sport to a packed agenda.
Since he took over as Chief Executive of the London Marathon in 1995, viewing figures and profits have risen year on year as the world’s largest and most successful marathon goes from strength to strength.
Bitel has already supported UK Sport’s drive to bring the world’s largest sporting events to the UK in his role as a member of the organisation’s Major Events Steering Group. Both his involvement with the London Marathon and his legal experience with events such as the Ryder Cup and Wimbledon have made him an invaluable member of the Group.
A former international swimmer, Louise Martin has become one of Britain’s pre-eminent sports nutrition experts – she is currently Nutrition Consultant to Scottish Gymnastics, Scottish Swimming and the Scottish Football Association
Martin represented Scotland at the 1962 Commonwealth Games and maintains a link to the Games to this day as Chairman of the Scottish Commonwealth Games Council. She also sits on the Board of sportscotland.
Former Welsh football international Laura McAllister brings a wealth of policy development experience to UK Sport. A senior lecturer in Public Administration and Management at the University of Liverpool, McAllister has worked both with the Sports Council for Wales and also, on a voluntary basis, for a number of sports bodies and clubs in Wales. More recently, she served on the National Assembly for Wales’ Football Strategy Forum.
The fourth new member to be appointed to UK Sport can boast a sporting CV that saw her compete to national standard in athletics, squash and hockey.
Constance St Louis has a distinguished background in radio production, which has seen her deliver a range of programmes for the BBC, including interviews and features for Radio 4’s Women’s Hour, plus programmes such as Fit for Life and Health Matters for BBC World Service.
The newly appointed members will serve three-year terms on UK Sport’s Council, together with additional roles on at least one of the organisation’s various panels.