UKA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Clean Athletics Support & Education Officer
Cherry has a 40-year career in staging major athletics events in the UK, starting out as one of the original team at the Great North Run in 1981 and NIKE International followed by a career at UK Athletics as Major Events and International Relations Director since 1991.
She has played a central role in the bidding and hosting of 22 global events and has been responsible for delivering UKA's televised events for almost 30 years.
Job Titles:
- Interim Development Director at UK Athletics
Chris is Interim Development Director at UK Athletics. He was previously the Head of Development and Participation at Welsh Athletics having worked in the organisation, across a number of roles, since 2003.
Having served on a number of support and advisory panels across the sporting sector, in 2014 he qualified as a deliverer on the IAAF Coaches Education and Certification System (CECS) and in 2017 presented at the European Athletics Congress and Conference in Vilnius.
A former international middle-distance athlete, over the years Chris has been heavily involved in the sport at all levels including as a tutor (across both the coach and officials' qualification pathways) and coach (Level 3 Performance) and also supports a range of mass participation events across the UK throughout the year.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Chief Executive Officer
Jack is the current CEO of UK Athletics. He commenced the CEO role at UK Athletics in July 2022 as the sport enters a busy summer of international athletics, then starts the build up towards a fast approaching Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Prior to UKA Jack was CEO at British Swimming where he oversaw a hugely successful Team GB performance at the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2021. The Olympic team claimed a best-ever haul of eight medals with 4 golds including Adam Peaty and Tom Daley as well as a world record in the mixed relay. The Paralympic team was the most successful sport competing for ParalympicsGB with 26 medals won at the Aquatics centre. Jack was the CEO of British Triathlon before British Swimming. During his time there, British Triathlon led the world with their best ever results at the 2016 Rio Olympics and Paralympics featuring the Brownlee brothers, Vicky Holland and Non Stanford.
Jack is a former European 5000m champion and two time Olympian. He was one of Britain's leading distance runners and his times remain in the top 5 on the UK all-time list over 30 years later. His championship record from the European 5000m in Stuttgart has now lasted 36 years. He also medalled in the World championships and commonwealth games over 5000m. After retiring from running, Jack worked for adidas in the UK, Germany and the USA. Over a 10 year period in marketing, his roles included Head of International Business Units and Marketing Director for adidas USA. After a spectacularly unsuccessful venture as an apple orchard owner in New Zealand, Jack returned to the UK where prior to British Triathlon and British Swimming CEO roles, he worked as a Strategic Lead for Sport England. Jack has also spent 8 years as a NED for a NHS Foundation Trust hospital and is a current Trustee of the National Forest. He has a lifelong commitment to sport from grassroots to the elite.
Job Titles:
- Head of Coaching Development
Stephen is the Technical Director with UK Athletics, leading up the High Performance team. Stephen joins UK Athletics from Sport Ireland where he was Head of High Performance Coaching, a strategic role working with National Governing Bodies on their High Performance Coaching Strategy ensuring that Irish Sport implements and recognises the need for High Performance Coach Development.
Stephen successfully headed up UK Athletics Sprints, Relay's and Hurdles programme from 2014-19 and was recognised alongside his fellow coaches with a BBC Coach of the Year Award. Stephen also spent a successful period working with Scottish Athletics.
In his own words, coaching is his passion, working with individual athletes or developing strategic interventions for various sports globally, he brings a passion and understanding of the elite sporting landscape.
Stephen is married to Georgeina and has a son Shay, although sport is his life, he loves the outdoors and the rugged coastline of County Donegal.
Job Titles:
- Head of Performance Programmes
Job Titles:
- Head of Paralympic Performance