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The national charity and leading voice for disabled people in sport and activity

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Please see below the details for staff, Board and Advocates. You can also use the contact us form for general information.

Find a team member

Found 12 team members.

  • Sam Orde OBE

    Chair

    Sam Orde’s passion is to see more disabled people enjoy sport and activity. She brings 20 years of experience from Riding for the Disabled Association, including as UK Chair for nine years, coaching from grassroots to national championships and developing Centres of Excellence. This has involved strategic planning, driving growth, fundraising and connecting with a wide range of organisations and people.

    Sam has been on the British Equestrian Federation Council for eight years and was on the working group to ensure compliance with Sport England’s Code for Sports Governance.

    Her professional background was initially as a Chartered Surveyor in rural practice, followed by growing her livestock farming business over the last three decades.

    As a young rider Sam competed in eventing to advanced level and Sam continues to ride for pleasure. Other interests include hill walking, Pilates, skiing and attending the last two Paralympics in support of the para-equestrian teams.

    Phone
    01509 227750
  • Dr Philip Friend OBE Hon D.Sc. FRSA

    Vice-Chair

    Phil is acknowledged as one of the UK's foremost consultants on disability matters. A powerful and highly popular communicator, he has provided consultancy, training and mentoring support to many of the country's best-known companies.

    He is the co-author of 'Why are you pretending to be normal?' a self-help book designed to encourage disabled people to manage rather than cope with their disability. He co-hosts the podcast 'The Way We Roll' and produces and hosts the 'Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos' podcast for RIDC.

    Phil is a long-standing Ambassador of the Business Disability Forum, Chair of Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RIDC), and Vice Chair of the Activity Alliance, a Churchill Fellow, and a former chair of Disability Rights UK and RADAR. He is Vice Chair of the BT Customer Inclusion Panel.

    He was awarded an OBE in 2001 for services to equal opportunities and disabled people, and became an honorary Doctor of Science (Hon DSc) in 2009 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to equality and diversity from University of Hertfordshire.

    Phil is a Senior Independent Director, chairs the Nominations Group and is Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion at Activity Alliance.

  • Rob Belbin

    Trustee

    Rob has worked as a PE teacher and outdoor instructor for 20 years. Based in Dorchester in Dorset, he specialises teaching disabled children aged from two to 19.

    Rob coordinates athletics, table cricket and boccia for school aged children across South West England which has lead too many successes and increased opportunities in his region.

    Specialising in inclusive sport education, Rob advises many schools and organisations on practical solutions in addition to delivering professional development training. Rob is passionate about sport and believes every person, if they choose, should have access to sport and leisure irrespective of their ability.

    Rob was first elected to the Board at the AGM in July 2015. Rob is our Safeguarding Champion and sits on the Nominations Group.

  • Genny Cotroneo

    Trustee

    Genny specialises in community engagement with a focused expertise on human centred approaches, such as design thinking and co-design, to produce outputs that include the end user throughout the process.

    Genny has a 20 year background in creative industries, from corporate videos and events to film to television drama, documentary, entertainment, and children’s programming to digital content making. Along the way, Genny developed a passion for public engagement which has seen her produce projects that not only entertain but encourage community participation.

    Combining her digital knowledge and people skills, Genny was a lead producer on BBC Sport’s Get Inspired initiative, collaborating with sports national governing bodies and various BBC brands to promote the societal benefits of sport and physical activity. More recently, Genny has managed the BBC Green Sport Awards celebrating the athletes and sports organisations who are making a commitment to climate action.

    Always on a mission to have the most under-represented voices heard, Genny’s work often concentrates on people with lived experience of protected characteristics, developing training and facilitating conversation on how authentic diversity and inclusion can attract underserved audiences.

    Genny sits on the Nominations Group.

  • Andrea Dando

    Trustee

    Andrea is a Qualified Chartered Accountant and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales with over 25 years’ experience in finance. Having started her career at PWC, she then spent 10 years in the industry working in various finance rolls at Rolls Royce in Derby. Andrea has spent the last 13 years working in the charity sector and is currently the Finance Director of the Baca Charity, based in Loughborough.

    Andrea is passionate about ensuring that charities have strong financial and management controls in place to allow organisations to successfully deliver on their operating purpose. Over the past 13 years she has really seen the need to ensure that the finances in a charity need to be robust to allow the organisation to thrive.

    Having gone to Loughborough University Andrea has continued to enjoy sport and is passionate about all people having access to it. As a very amateur tennis player as well as a big cricket fan she understands the benefits that sport can provide.

    Andrea chairs the Finance Audit Risk and Governance Committee.

  • Rebecca Evans

    Trustee

    Rebecca has worked in various sports development roles in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, since graduating in 2004 from University in Sport Science and Management. Latterly working strategically across the county to improve people’s health and wellbeing by supporting them to be active specialising in those facing the most inequalities, particularly disabled people.

    Before a working life began Rebecca competed in disability swimming at national level and up to international level for more than ten years, until 2005. Her proudest sporting achievement was breaking the S8 Short course 1500m World and European record in 2004 and 2005 at the Beds County championships. She was one of the first swimmers to integrate into the county championships and went on to become Beds ASA disability secretary and their President. Rebecca spent a lot of time volunteering at club level and is a qualified level 3 swimming coach and believes she may be the first disabled person to do so. She continues to volunteer in many club roles, but in a different sport having taken up wheelchair basketball in her spare time, “for fun”.

    Rebecca says being involved in sport from a teenager has transformed her life. She is forever grateful for the experiences and friends that sport has offered. It continues to shape her life today. She is passionate about ensuring everyone has the opportunities to reap the benefits sport and activity have to offer.

    Rebecca sits on the Finance Audit Risk and Governance committee.

  • Piers Martin MTPL MSc MBA FCIPD FRSA

    Trustee

    Piers is a performance leadership development specialist working across sport, business and academia. He is responsible for Leadership and Workforce Development for the Premier League, supporting the identification and development of leaders across football. He is also a Director of the Podium Performance Group, a people development consultancy, Chair of Level Equals, a fair recruitment company, Chair of UK Deaf Sport, and is a Senior NED and Trustee in a number of organisations.

    For over 25 years, Piers has led and advised a range of Olympic and Paralympic sports, National Olympic Committees, supported start-ups and established organisations, and coached senior leaders across sport and business. He has an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School, an MSc in Organisational Psychology, and is undertaking a Doctorate in leadership development.

    Piers sits on the Finance Audit Risk and Governance committee.

  • Isabelle Michelson

    Trustee

    Issy is a policy and public affairs specialist at the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). She has a passion for promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in sport and society with a political background spanning Westminster, Cardiff Bay and Holyrood. Her role at the LTA involves managing relationships within the sport sector, government and elected politicians from across Britain. She works to influence key policy areas such as education, healthcare and facilities investment. Her position has enabled her to champion and promote disability tennis to stakeholders across sport and politics.

    Issy has worked in the sport sector for many years, starting out at the charity Women in Sport where she established a political engagement programme and developed systemic policy asks to improve participation of women and girls in sport.

    Outside of work, Issy is a qualified lacrosse coach and has played international lacrosse for Wales for over four years. She also sits on the National Lacrosse Committee and has shadowed the Sport Wales Board.

    She joined the Activity Alliance Board in October 2023 as a Member Nominated Trustee, representing the interests of the National Disability Sport Organisations.

  • Gabriel Odia

    Trustee

    Gabe, as he’s better known, has worked as a sports coach for over fifteen years. For the last ten years, he’s primarily focussed his coaching with disabled people in sport. Passionate about sport and promoting the physical, mental and social benefits activity can provide, he wants to ensure everyone has access. Gabe enjoys sharing better practice so fellow sports practitioners can upskill and provide the best opportunities for participants.

    His experience includes working for Youth Sport Trust as the Inclusion Lead for London, the FA as an Inclusion tutor, head of PE and a coach development lead. He regularly delivers inclusive training to schools and sports organisations. He also works for Greenhouse Sports, a charity that uses sport to help young people realise their potential. He is currently in a school for young people with autism where he is a member of the Gender Equality Board.

    Gabe became a Trustee in 2022. He is Activity Alliance's Wellness and Safety Board Champion.

  • Emma Pawson

    Trustee

    Emma is the health and programme director for universal free school meals at the Greater London Authority working for the Mayor of London. She is responsible for a wide portfolio including universal free school meals, mental health, heath inequalities, physical activity, youth inclusion and working with all 33 London boroughs and NHS partners. Prior to joining the Greater London Authority, Emma worked as health policy lead at the Department of Health and Social Care.
    She has also worked in the Chief Medical Officer’s private office as policy lead on obesity.

    Emma started her career as a sports development officer working in inclusion health. She brings extensive experience in policy and strategy, risk management and programme delivery working with a wide range of stakeholders.

    Emma is extremely experienced in managing relationships at a local, regional and national level. She is passionate about inclusion health and activity and has spent many years volunteering with disabled sports in the UK and internationally. She also worked at the 2012 Paralympics in London.

    Emma joined the Activity Alliance Board in October 2023.

  • Lucy Smith

    Trustee

    Lucy works in governance and data protection at British Gymnastics. Her early involvement in gymnastics started as a participant and then she later progressed to coach which led to her pursuing a career in sport. Lucy has covered a wide variety of roles within the sport sector including working in development, safeguarding, HR, equality and diversity and governance, risk and compliance.

    Lucy was advisor to the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique Working Group for the Prevention of Abuse and Harassment. She was responsible for developing a framework to embed safeguarding arrangements at world events and within national federations and supported the establishment of the International Gymnastics Ethics Foundation.

    As a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Lucy is passionate about developing inclusive environments where everyone can thrive. She has lived experience as a parent and carer of the inequalities that disabled people face in daily life and is passionate about ensuring disabled people can benefit from taking part in sport and physical activity.

    Lucy joined the Activity Alliance Board in October 2023.

  • Loretta Sollars

    Trustee

    Loretta’s career includes over 20 years of work in community sports development as well as close to a decade in public health. During the pandemic, Loretta led the Health Inequalities team to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on health inequalities and the publication of PHE’s annual Public Sector Equality Duty report. In October 2021, her role was transferred into the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities which is part of the Department of Health and Social Care. She has responsibility for the health of school-age children which sees her working with national agencies on issues such as physical activity, obesity and mental health and wellbeing.

    Loretta has always enjoyed sport and being active. She initially swam competitively and later took swimming coaching and teaching qualifications with the intention to coach professionally. However, she was diverted into competing in triathlons in the early 90s, representing GB internationally. Throughout her time as a competitor and since retiring from elite sport she has taken on various voluntary roles with local athletics, triathlon and swimming clubs.

    Loretta sees the trusteeship at Activity Alliance as an opportunity to “give something back”. She is also passionate about wanting to make life fairer and healthier for everyone.

    Loretta sits on the Finance Audit Risk and Governance Committee.