ACTIVE KENT & MEDWAY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Board Member and Audit and Governance Committee Chair - Joined Board in April 2017
Adam was formerly the Chief Executive Officer of Gillingham Football Club Community Trust. He had five years of experience within this role, developing overall business strategy for the charity, as well as creating unique projects to be delivered throughout Medway and Kent. A qualified PE teacher, Adam also has good experience and understanding of schools, and of delivering sports sessions and projects to young people. He is a sports fanatic, but football is his main passion as both a supporter, and also playing for local teams. He also likes a sporting challenge, having previously completed the London Marathon and the London to Amsterdam bike ride, raising money for charity on both occasions.
Job Titles:
- Active Partnership Manager ( Connecting Communities Lead )
Job Titles:
- Administration Support Officer ( Children and Young People Projects )
Job Titles:
- Safeguarding and Inclusion Officer
Job Titles:
- Board Member - Joined Board in January 2024
Chris, raised in South Wales, grew up in an environment deeply rooted in sports, surrounded by a family and community passionate about athletic activities. This upbringing ignited his own love for sports, leading him to actively participate in both cricket and rugby at competitive levels for several years.
Over the past decade, Chris has been Director of Sport at Tonbridge School. In this capacity, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the sports programs and nurturing athletic talent. His responsibilities have included liaising closely with numerous local, national, and international National Governing Bodies (NGBs), as well as professional sports teams. This role has demanded a high level of coordination, communication, and organisational skills, enabling him to forge significant relationships within the sports community.
Additionally, Chris has been instrumental in coordinating various sports initiatives and events, demonstrating his capability to manage large-scale projects effectively. His leadership has not only benefited Tonbridge School's sports programs but has also contributed to the broader sporting community.
Job Titles:
- Board Member - Joined Board in November 2023
- Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute
Derek is a Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute, with over 35 years of corporate governance experience in major international companies, primarily in the financial services sector, as well as having experience in risk management and compliance.
Derek has been involved with basketball since school (where he won a national championship) having played for 43 years; coached for 40 years, with a strong focus on junior development; and been on the Medway Basketball Association Management Committee for 32 years, with roles including Secretary, Basketball Development Officer & Registrar. He is also a longstanding Governor of his former school, Gravesend Grammar School, where he is the link governor for key stage 5; and he is a Trustee of the Chartered Secretaries Charitable Trust.
Having retired from playing basketball during the coronavirus pandemic, he now swims regularly for 1.5 - 2 km a week to stay fit.
Job Titles:
- Board Chairman since July 2022
- Chief Executive of EKC Group
Graham Razey OBE is the Chief Executive of EKC Group, a family of six colleges and four business units that deliver a wealth of technical, vocational and academic education across the whole of east Kent. A passionate sportsman, Graham's first role following his time at the University of Kent was as a sports lecturer. He's continued to love sport throughout his life, playing cricket for his local club as well as coaching the next generation of talented youngsters. Alongside these hobbies, Graham acts as a National Leader of Further Education, and is also a member of the Principals' Reference Group which helps to shape national skills policy and acts as a sounding board for the Government's Further Education Commissioner. He received his OBE for services to education in the 2019 Queen's New Year Honours list, and proudly attended his investiture in 2021 following a delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Director
- Board Member - Joined Board in December 2021
- CEO of KECC
Gurvinder is the Artistic Director of Cohesion Plus and CEO of the KECC (Kent Equality Cohesion Council). He has worked in the voluntary sector in Kent since 1999 and established Cohesion Plus in 2008 to complement the work he was already doing around equality and diversity. The focus of his work is to use the arts and sports to bring people together, showcase culturally diverse arts and promote community cohesion, celebrating our shared values.
During his two decade long career in the charity sector, and as CEO of KECC, Gurvinder has worked extensively across Kent in partnership with community, faith and statutory sectors to promote community cohesion, engagement with diverse communities and to eliminate discrimination. He also provides one to one support to individuals who require help and support, the majority of whom have English as a second language, as well as supporting community groups through mentoring and advice on issues such as governance and access to funding.
Job Titles:
- Board Member - Joined Board in January 2024
After graduating from the University of Birmingham in 2005 as a Physiotherapist, Kathryn started her career working within the NHS. She went on to become a Senior practitioner specialising in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy. After 6 years in the NHS, Kathryn went onto follow her dream of working with elite athletes. This included leading medical service for GB Women's Water Polo at London 2012, and British Canoe Slalom at the Rio 2016 helping them achieve their goal of 2 Olympic medals. Kathryn has a vast experience within sports working with both amateur and professional athletes of all ages.
Kathryn has spent the past 6 years working within private practice leading medical teams to provide gold standard healthcare services to help patients overcome complex issues. She has a keen interest in the way the human body moves and has a true passion for helping people to improve their quality of life and wellbeing through movement, activity and sport.
Kathryn has always been a keen sports person and has played county and club level hockey since she was 15. She has played club level football, netball, enjoys rock climbing and bouldering, and has most recently taken up tennis. She loves to exercise and aims to train 4-5 times a week. She enjoys spending time with her 4 year old daughter and going on adventures.
Job Titles:
- Board Member - Joined Board in December 2021
Liu is a video and communications expert working with Kent SMEs and charities. She is also a TV presenter, having hosted an active travel show airing on Sky. She is a graduate from Loughborough University, and former Team GB wakeboarder, who later took up bodybuilding to overcome a major sports injury. These experiences have given Liu a passion for inspiring and helping people try a wide variety of different sports, and motivated her to complete '100 Sports in 100 Days'. This fundraising and awareness campaign aimed to inspire people to find their 'perfect sport/activity', especially if they are not interested in 'mainstream' sports.
Job Titles:
- Board Member - Joined Board in January 2024
Luke has 11 years of experience as an accountant, as a fully qualified member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). Since 2021, he has honed his skills working with SME / Owner Managed businesses at A4G LLP. Beyond his professional endeavors, he is deeply passionate about sports. Football is his main sport, playing and currently acting as secretary for teams in the NKSL. He also enjoys various racquet sports socially, and has just started to learn to play golf. He is eager to leverage his financial acumen and passion for sports to help drive Active Kent & Medway's meaningful initiatives that benefit our local community.
Job Titles:
- Health and Wellbeing Officer
Job Titles:
- Board Member, Welfare & Safety Champion, and Equalities Champion - Joined Board in July 2015
Natalie is currently the Head of Academy at London City Lionesses. Natalie is passionate about sport generally and football in particular and she works tirelessly with a range of partners to encourage opportunities for people with all abilities and from all parts of Kent and Medway's communities to become involved in football. Natalie can often be found on a football pitch across Kent either playing, tutoring or coaching!
Job Titles:
- Events and Programmes Manager
Job Titles:
- Interim Head of Countryside and Community Development at Kent County Council and the Host Agency Representative on the Board