Michelle Dite, Charlotte Samuelson, John Steele and Dame Sarah Storey have been appointed, and Rachel Baillache reappointed, to the UK Sport Board by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for terms of four years.
On the appointments Professor Nick Webborn, Chair of UK Sport, said: “I’m pleased to welcome John, Sarah, Charlotte and Michelle as our new Board members to UK Sport. Each brings a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to helping us deliver for high performance sport and sporting events across the UK.
"As we continue to make progress against our 10-year strategic plan, having a breadth of perspectives and expertise around the Board table is more important than ever. The decisions we make today will help shape the future of Olympic and Paralympic sport and events, ensuring we can respond to a changing landscape while continuing to support athletes, sports and the wider system to succeed.
"Alongside our current board members, I’m confident we have the insight and experience to continue to think long term and build a high performance sporting system that is resilient, ambitious and fit for the future. I look forward to working with them all as we help more athletes thrive and inspire people across the UK."
New board members
Michelle Dite, Charlotte Samuelson, John Steele and Dame Sarah Storey will be appointed from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2030.
Michelle Dite
Michelle Dite is a senior sports executive with more than 25 years of experience delivering some of the world’s most complex and high-profile sporting events. Her career spans Olympic and Paralympic sport, international federations, government partners and major rights holders, with a reputation for balancing operational excellence, commercial objectives and stakeholder needs.
Since 2020, Michelle has served as Operations Director at the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), leading the operational planning and delivery of The Championships, Wimbledon. Working closely with the CEO, Board and Committee of Management, she plays a key role in shaping Wimbledon’s future while preserving its global prestige and traditions.
Michelle also brings significant governance experience, serving on the UK Sport Major Events Panel, the UEFA EURO 2028 Oversight Group, and the Grand Départ 2027 Board.
Previously, Michelle advised major international events including the Rugby League World Cup, MLB London Series, Invictus Games and The Boat Race.
Charlotte Samuelson
Charlotte Samuelson is Chief Operating Officer of PREM Rugby. She joined PREM Rugby from World Rugby, where she served as COO from 2022. Her rugby leadership experience includes board roles with the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 and Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027, as well as helping deliver the record-breaking Women’s Rugby World Cup in England. She served on the Board of Surrey County Cricket Club for eight years and is a disciplinary panel member for the MCC.
A qualified auditor with degrees in English & Philosophy, and Psychology, Charlotte brings more than two decades of senior leadership experience across sport, financial services and professional services, with previous roles at Close Brothers, Vanquis Bank, Barclays, Grant Thornton, EY and the BBC.
John Steele
John has been a professional athlete, European Cup winning coach, CEO, NED, and Chair in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. He has been CEO of UK Sport, the Rugby Football Union and the Youth Sport Trust. His experience spans leadership roles in 14 Olympic and Paralympic Games, both winter and summer. In his role as Executive Director of Sport at Loughborough University, he gained insight into turning high performance success into social impact and learning.
He chaired the Board of the UK Sports Institute (EIS) for eight years and currently chairs Commonwealth Games England. He is the founder and co-owner of the leadership consultancy Unforgiving Minute, with previous experience as a Chartered Surveyor and an Army officer. He has been a Visiting Professor in Sports Performance and Leadership at Loughborough University and was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2021 for services to high performance sport.
Dame Sarah Storey
Dame Sarah Storey is the UK’s most successful Paralympian having competed across nine Games and two sports from 1992 to 2024. Her career in sport has been accompanied by a series of roles in sport and public life, including running her own professional cycling team, the head coach role of the North West Disability Swim Squad and now the Chair of Lancashire Cricket Club.
Since 2013, she has been a leading voice in active transport, beginning with her policy advocacy for British Cycling. She has served as an Active Travel Commissioner since 2019, first in South Yorkshire until 2022, and for the past four and a half years in Greater Manchester. As well as a role on the Board at the Department of Transport, Sarah is a regular sports broadcaster having worked at multiple events for TV outlets from World Championships to Commonwealth Games, before her first presenting role on screen at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.
Reappointed board member
Rachel Baillache has been reappointed for a second term of four years, from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2030.
Rachel Baillache
Rachel is the Senior Independent Director at the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) where she chairs the Audit and Risk Committee. She is also the LTA Board sponsor for Inclusion and Diversity. Rachel is also an Independent Non-Executive Director of the Men's Professional Rugby Board and Chair of the charity Access Sport.
Rachel was a partner at KPMG for over twenty years where she served as an audit partner and for eight years, until her retirement, she was also a member of KPMG International’s Global Executive.