Non-Executive Director (NED), Keynote Business Speaker & Executive Coach
After Executive roles in the UK with NatWest, British Gas and Metro Bank, Chris now has a portfolio of Non Executive Director (NED) and Chair roles in Business and Sport. He also is a global keynote speaker and Executive Coach. He is Chair at MCRactive, NED at Equilibrium Wealth Management LLP and Chair at Zellar Limited. His previous roles include Chair of the Rugby League World Cup 2021, Chair of GreaterSport, and Senior Independent Non-Executive roles at the Rugby Football League (RFL) and Manchester Football Association. From an Executive coaching perspective, Chris is the Leadership and Business Coach at Metro Bank, Switch the Play and Goodson Thomas. Chris has coached Executives from companies such as Heineken, Muller, and the Football Association. Chris is also a Business Mentor for the Premier League, Elite Academy Managers Programme.

Chris is not a theorist, but a skilled and experienced practitioner. He is a leading authority on Performance Management, Strategy, Customer Experience and Employee Engagement; particularly within organisations where change is a feature. His strengths include building high performing teams, enhancing productivity through employee engagement and situational leadership. Chris leads on the subject of Leadership and People on the “Becoming a CEO in a Sporting Organisation” which has been created by VSI Executive Education, for whom Chris also delivers for on the Salford University Master’s Degree programme for Sporting Directors.

He has also worked extensively with academics from leading business schools as well as executives, managers and team leaders within global PLCs. Chris is passionate about creating a long term sustainable performance culture that will continue long after he has completed his work. His accolades include Britain’s Best Boss, Most Outstanding Workplace at the National Business Awards; Sales & Marketing Director of the Year (3 consecutive years), and in 2017 was awarded United Kingdom, Non Executive Director of the Year by the Institute of Directors.

Chris has spoken in the UK, Europe, Africa and Australia on topics including Change Management, Culture, Building High Performing Teams, Customer Experience and Coaching.

In June 2018, Chris was awarded an MBE for his services to sport.

Barry is an internationally experienced executive with a track record of building and realising value for disruptive, high growth companies. Barry is a business savvy leader, motivated to inspire, develop talent, commercial sustainability and create enduring organisational health.

His career has focused on establishing and building visionary technology and leveraging SaaS commercial models. Barry is a Chartered Director with the UK Institute of Directors and Australian Institute of Company Directors, has served as a CEO for over 12 years with Prozone Sports and more recently Catapult Sports. Barry is currently the CEO of Sportsology. Barry holds advisory and consultancy roles under BPM Performance and has advised a range of technology businesses and sports organisations in the UK, Australia and the US.

Ed Warner was appointed Chair of the Palace for Life Foundation, the official charity of Crystal Palace Football Club, in 2017. Palace for Life is committed to improving the lives of young people in South London through a variety of initiatives, many of them harnessing the power of the football club’s brand. Previously, Ed was Chair of UK Athletics, the sport’s national governing body, for over a decade. He was Chair of the successful London campaign to host the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships, and subsequently led the staging of these Championships and of the World Para Athletics Championships in London’s Olympic Stadium in the same summer. He remains Chair of World Para Athletics on behalf of the International Paralympic Committee, and was awarded the OBE for services to British athletics in the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours List.

Ed is a City financier and is currently chairman of accountants Grant Thornton UK, and of derivatives exchange LMAX. He is a non-executive director of Clarksons , the world’s leading shipbroker. Previously, he was a leading investment strategist and held senior management positions in a number of investment banks and financial businesses.He is a keen club runner and has completed over 15 marathons and races at all distances from 5k up to 100 miles. Ed is the author of the best seller Sport Inc.: “Why money is the winner in the business of sport”

Managing your brand in the media.
Sport and business are Jacey’s big passions and after a 20 year stint at the BBC as an investigative journalist she is working with VSI doing what she really loves.

Already well known in north west business and sporting circles she is consulting on a number of exciting projects.

Having spent 20 years as a senior sports industry executive with global experience in leadership roles for NGBs, provincial associations, professional clubs and a government funded agency, Tom now leads the sports and leisure executive search specialists Kinsey Sears. Kinsey Sears specialise in the sports, physical activity and leisure sectors and focus on senior and specialist appointments and work with organisations on their governance structures and recruitment of NEDs, Board members and trustees. Tom’s experience includes Chief Executive and senior positions in the UK, Europe, Australasia, and Africa and I am Chair of the ‘Professional Body of Sports Leadership’. This background affords Tom unique insight into the sector and the requirements for both executive and non executive positions in this rapidly growing and influential industry.

Rob is the Head of Department for Finance, Accounting and Business Systems at Sheffield Hallam University and an expert in sport finance. With 20 years’ experience in Higher Education in a variety of roles, ranging from Quality Enhancement to External Relations, Rob has significant teaching and research experience in the sport business field. To that end, his main teaching and research interests are in the finance and economics of sport with his PhD focussing on the factors affecting financial performance in professional team sports.

Driving value from your network.
Vicky made her name masterminding groundbreaking innovation and change projects in the Telco sector.

She has recently joined the senior leadership group at arguably the country’s most successful business networking organisation, Downtown in Business where she reports directly to founder Frank McKenna.