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New member of Executive Leadership Team appointed

Ben Wilson will join us in May as Ali Donnelly departs Sport England.

9th March 2023

We’ve appointed Ben Wilson to the role of Executive Director of Digital, Communications and Marketing.

Ben joins us from the Association of British Insurers, where he’s the director of corporate affairs and sustainability, and he brings strong experience having held senior roles across a range of high-profile organisations.

He began his career as a regional newspaper journalist with Southern Newspapers and, prior to his current role, he’s been director of communications and then chief operating officer of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, deputy director of communications at the Department for Work and Pensions and head of strategic communications at the BBC. 

“It is a great privilege to be joining an organisation with such a vital mission and compelling strategy as well as some of the nation’s most eye-catching campaigns,” he said.

“Sport and physical activity have a huge potential to improve the UK’s wellbeing and health. I am excited to join a great team at Sport England driving forward that ambition under Tim’s leadership.”
 

“It is a great privilege to be joining an organisation with such a vital mission and compelling strategy as well as some of the nation’s most eye-catching campaigns.”

Ben Wilson

Incoming Executive Director of Digital, Marketing and Communications

Sport England

Ben will start in May and succeeds Ali Donnelly, who is departing Sport England to take up a new role as chief executive of More Than Equal, and our chief executive Tim Hollingsworth is excited to start working with him.

“Ben brings extensive leadership experience and has a highly relevant background for this important role, having led award-winning campaigns across media, internal communications, digital and marketing,” said Tim.

“I know he is passionate about our mission to tackle inequalities so that more people than ever can be part of sport and physical activity and, having come through an extremely competitive recruitment process, he is a great addition to our team.

“I’d like to place on record my thanks to Ali Donnelly as she departs to lead an incredibly exciting new venture.

“She’s given more than three years of great service and has been instrumental in driving our campaigns and advocacy for the role of sport and activity in our society – as well as helping Sport England navigate both the pandemic and period since.”
 

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