British Rowing Board welcomes two new Directors

British Rowing has successfully appointed two independent non-executive directors (NEDs), Fiona McAnena and Nicola Palios to join its Board.  This follows a thorough review of its organisational structure and an open recruitment process which was supported by Sports Recruitment International.

Annamarie Phelps, Chairman of British Rowing, commented, “After the Olympic success of 2012 it is an exciting time for British Rowing and we are positioning ourselves to be able to capitalise on that success moving forward.  Making changes to our board structure and appointing independent directors is one of the steps we are taking to make sure our organisation is ready for the challenges the future will bring.   In Nicola and Fiona we are confident we have appointed two key members who will be able to use their professional skills to help us as we embark on the next stage of development for British Rowing.”

Fiona McAnena brings with her a strong marketing background with experience working in multinational business including Unilever, PepsiCo, Bupa and WPP.  Fiona is an active rower and her expertise in strategic marketing and customer insight, together with experience of how business and sport can work well together, will bring an important dynamic and perspective to the board.

Nicola Palios joins on the back of a successful career running Mourant Group, one of the world’s largest independent law and fiduciary services businesses.  She brings a unique combination of legal and top level strategic experience from both executive and non-executive capacities and has a personal interest in rowing inspired by her son and personal experience as a cox when she was at university.

The two roles were advertised publicly and Sports Recruitment International assisted with the initial assessment and interview process. 

Kate Burt, Chief Executive for British Rowing commented, “It was great for us to be able to draw on the skill, expertise and experience of SRI.  From initial assessment of applications through to the final appointments, they worked in partnership with us to ensure this was a success.”

Joy Tottman, Head of Research at Sports Recruitment International said, “Often the use of an external panel member can bring a different perspective to the assessment process and it was great to have the chance to assist British Rowing.”