British Rowing appoints Louise Kingsley as new Director of Performance

Following an extensive recruitment process, Louise Kingsley has been appointed as the new Director of Performance at British Rowing

Following an extensive recruitment process, Louise Kingsley has been appointed as the new Director of Performance at British Rowing. She will begin the new role immediately.

Since the advent of Lottery funding, Kingsley is the first female to lead British Rowing’s Performance programme and brings more than 20 years experience from within the sport, initially as a successful coach and then running the governing body’s performance pathway and Paralympic programme.

She was the Deputy Director of Performance Pathways and Paralympic Programme leading the Para GB Rowing Team to two gold medals at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Most recently, she has acted as Interim Director of Performance at British Rowing. She is also a Non-Executive Director at British Shooting.

Louise will lead British Rowing’s World Class Programme as well as the GB Rowing Team, supported by a strong and experienced senior staff at British Rowing’s national training centre in Caversham, Reading.

Louise said: “I’m thrilled to be given the opportunity to lead this programme. I’ve gained invaluable experience through leading our successful Paralympic programme and more recently as Interim Director of Performance, building solid relationships with our staff, athletes and stakeholders, which will help in my step up to Director of Performance.

“Looking ahead, it’s an exciting time for the GB Rowing Team, with funding for the next cycle secured plus all the learnings and positive experiences from the last few cycles will help us evolve into a contemporary and world-leading programme.  This starts with the recruitment of new Olympic Head Coaches, so my immediate priority will be on this as we look ahead to Paris.”

British Rowing Chair Mark Davies, who led the recruitment process, said: “Louise is a highly-experienced and talented leader, and we are delighted to have her as our new Director of Performance. She beat a field of 12 high-quality applications from a host of sports and from across the world, and a shortlist of five, in a robust, two-stage process.”

The interview panel comprised:

• Mark Davies, Chair, British Rowing (Chair)
• Kate Baker, Director of Performance at UK Sport
• Robin Williams, double Olympic gold-medal winning coach
• Anna Watkins, Olympic Champion
• James Cracknell, double Olympic Champion
• Alastair Marks, British Rowing interim CEO