Henley Women’s Regatta appoints 11 new ambassadors

All of the 15 ambassadors now on the programme are high-achieving athletes who will be using their profiles in the rowing community to help promote the regatta

Their work will include appearing on official Henley Women’s Regatta (HWR) social media channels, and a number of the ambassadors will also attend the regatta, actively supporting athletes. Several will be actively involved in staging HWR as part of the regatta’s commentary team.

The full list of Henley Women’s Regatta ambassadors is:

Ellen Buttrick MBE
Emily Craig
Jess Eddie
Debbie Flood
Dame Katherine Grainger DBE
Imogen Grant
Erin Kennedy MBE
Jess Leyden
Miriam Luke MBE
Alison Mowbray
Grace Prendergast MNZM
Naomi Riches MBE
Zoe de Toledo
Imogen Walsh
Anna Watkins MBE

Between them these 15 phenomenal women have won three Olympic and three Paralympic gold medals, 11 Olympic silver medals, one Olympic and one Paralympic bronze medal, 36 World Championship titles and a further nine silver and eight bronze World Championship medals, and 20 European Championship medals.

Three of the new ambassadors are hoping to be selected for Team GB in Paris this summer – Imogen Grant and Emily Craig as the British lightweight double sculls crew at the Olympic Games, and Erin Kennedy as cox of the PR3 mixed coxed four at the Paralympic Games.

“There is now a wonderful opportunity for athletes racing at HWR to draw on the experience of these role models” – Naomi Ashcroft, HWR Chairman

Many have also competed at Henley Women’s Regatta on numerous occasions and also contributed after their retirement to running the event. In particular, immediate past Chairmen Naomi Riches and Miriam Luke have joined the group of ambassadors, maintaining their links with the regatta.

New Zealander Grace Prendergast is also among the list of new ambassadors. Prendergast’s achievements include gold in the women’s pair and silver in the women’s eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, five world titles, three Henley Royal Regatta medals, and, together with Imogen Grant, the 2022 Boat Race for Cambridge. Although Prendergast never got the opportunity to race at Henley Women’s Regatta, in 2023 she presented the prizes and joined the commentary team. This year, she will be speaking at the international crew reception.

Henley Women’s Regatta Chairman Naomi Ashcroft said: “We are delighted to be supported by a growing number of HWR ambassadors to provide inspiration and motivation for our competitors and to showcase the thrill and excitement of racing at Henley Women’s Regatta. There is now a wonderful opportunity for athletes racing at HWR to draw on the experience of these role models, as the HWR ambassador programme becomes an integral part of the regatta. Welcome to the HWR family!”

Henley Women’s Regatta takes place between Friday, 21 and Sunday, 23 June 2024. Entries will be opening on BROE2 soon and will close on Tuesday 28 May. You can find more details on events, entry criteria and the regatta at hwr.org.uk.