LTA Tennis Foundation’s Chair discusses why he believes sport has the power to change lives.

In your day job you are CEO of SportsAid, so it is clear you are passionate about sport for development. What do you think it is about sport that can have such a positive impact on people, and the power to change lives?   

Wow! That’s a big question to open with. I do have a passion for sport, in all its forms. Fundamentally sport, and physical activity for that matter, is a net gain for anyone involved. It may not necessarily feel it in the moment – you may be tired, or nervous trying something new with someone new, or creaky after a session, or even a little anxious about an activity – but ultimately, you’ll be better for it in every respect.  

You’ll have been active, in a team or on your own; you’ll have had to think a little; you’ll have had to problem solve and communicate; you’ll have had to commit and turn up, be somewhere at a certain time; you’ll have set yourself a goal of some form and you may or may not achieve it. 

In simple terms, I believe sport offers the opportunity for anyone to develop the skills for a happy, healthy life….and tennis is the epitome of that! 

How did you first get involved with the LTA Tennis Foundation?   

I’ve worked in sport for 30 years. If there’s any thread running through that it’s that I like to be involved in building things. When the opportunity came up to apply to join the Tennis Foundation as was, I felt it might tie in with that thread. I was looking for a non-executive role, ideally with a sporting charity, to hopefully benefit from and complement my experiences and skills. I could not have hoped for it to have been as exciting, challenging or fulfilling as it has been so far. The Trustee group that I’m part of is exceptional. 

Giving up your time to be a Trustee is a big commitment, what drove your decision? 

Hopefully without sounding trite, I think time is one of the few commodities, along with experience, skills and passion, that is non-negotiable in committing to a non-executive role such as a charity Trustee. Whilst you remain a volunteer at heart, it has to come with some genuine skin in the game and that can’t simply be your reputation. 

I really did/do believe that I can help, and I’d like to.  

What do you think makes the LTA Tennis Foundation unique?  

In my experience many charity Trustees often reflect on this question of uniqueness. In the day job at SportsAid we periodically refer to the ‘first/best/only’ – are we ever any (or all) of these in anything we do? Even in these formative years of a refreshed strategy and ambition, I believe that the LTA Tennis Foundation is one or all of these things surprisingly frequently; primarily but not exclusively as a by-product of such a close working alliance with the LTA itself.   

Is this your first role as Chair? What has been the biggest learning point for you?   

I have quite a bit of experience as a charity Trustee over the years, but not as Chair of a Trustee Board.  I did have the privilege of Chairing Proactive Camden, the health and physical activity partnership for the London Borough for a number of years, which was both a challenging and fulfilling experience.  My view on being a Chair – in fact of any leadership role – is that you’re really there to take responsibility for enabling others. If you can do that effectively then the other elements like decision-making or representing or challenging come more easily. 

What are some of the challenges you face as the Chair of the Board?   

The Trustees of the LTA Tennis Foundation are an extremely impressive group of individuals with an immense passion to help. There is broad and deep experience and perspective which we’re all trying to blend into the common purpose we share in the LTA Tennis Foundation. As Chair I must find ways of harnessing that without diminishing the voices and opinions around the table. 

Additionally, I firmly believe that diversity drives excellence. We need to ensure we are deliberately seeking diversity and being as proactively inclusive as we can be. In sport, as in society, this isn’t a given and we all need to work at it.  

What is your highlight as Chair so far?    

That’s a tricky question. I am very proud to have been involved in the merger process that has brought the previous Tennis Foundation and the LTA Trust into one, consolidated charity vehicle that is now the LTA Tennis Foundation. And to then become Chair of the new entity is incredibly special. 

There are many more highlights, each with a slightly different feel to them for different reasons – the inspirational people stories, the impact of the Grant Making Programme or facilities investment, the enlightened consensus around the Board table – it is all really energising and fulfilling stuff. But the sheer scale and pace of the Parks Tennis Project investment involving the LTA, the LTA Tennis Foundation and the UK Government has been nothing short of outstanding.  What a thing to be involved with!  

What would you say to someone thinking about becoming a Trustee?   

The simple and perhaps predictable answer to that would be to say, ‘sign up, become a charity Trustee today!’ but I think there’s perhaps more to my answer.  I would certainly say look into it and investigate the opportunities local to you and in the thematic and social topics you have a passion for; don’t make it any more tricky than it is by over-stretching yourself on where you need to be or what you need to understand or care about – start close to home and where your passions lie.  You need to be able to commit time; you need to be there in person (at least some of the time); and you need to care about what you’re doing. 

I’d also add that you need to be able to adapt and respond to the needs and circumstances of the charity you’re becoming involved with.  Just sharing our experiences and expertise is not enough; you need to adapt and tailor those things into the form most useful and relevant to the charity.  As someone wiser than me once said about Boardrooms (and it can apply to charity Boards too): ‘wielding knowledge is unhelpful, sharing knowledge is what’s needed’.    

The best things in life aren’t things…people inspire people. I’d encourage anyone with a passion to help others to investigate the best way for them to do that.