Friday, 16 May 2025
Four candidates have been elected to the Board of ParalympicsGB during a meeting of the membership of the National Paralympic Committee today.
One of ParalympicsGB’s most successful ever athletes Sophie Christiansen CBE who won 10 medals including eight golds in an Equestrian career spanning four Paralympic Games is one of three new Board members.
Sophie had previously served on the Athletes’ Commission for eight years to ensure the athlete voice was at the heart of ParalympicsGB’s decision making.
From 2012 to 2017, she was also member of the Paralympic Legacy Advisory Group for the Home Office, alongside ParalympicsGB Chair Dan Brooke, and an ambassador for the Department for Work and Pensions scheme of Disabled People’s User Led Organisations.
Sophie combined her Equestrian career while also working as a part-time software developer at top global finance firm, Goldman Sachs, in Risk Engineering.
She said: “Para sport has grown exponentially over the 20 years I have been involved and being at the top of my sport has required continual re-invention and innovation, just as I have seen from ParalympicsGB.
“I have used my platform as a gold medallist to become a disability advocate, just as ParalympicsGB is championing change for disabled people across the UK, so to help keep pushing those boundaries is a great honour.”
Tim Hollingsworth OBE, who was CEO of ParalympicsGB for seven years including the transformational London 2012 Paralympic Games before serving as CEO of Sport England for seven years was also elected.
He said: “I consider the Paralympic movement the greatest force for good across world sport. Its combination of world class sporting competition alongside the opportunity to effect social change is unique and must be maximised both in Great Britain and internationally.”
Mike Cavendish, Director of Performance at British Triathlon who began his career in Paralympic sport with British Athletics at the Beijing 2008 Games was also elected to the Board for the first time.
He said: “My experiences in sport have furnished me with a broad range of skills and experiences that should be of benefit to the ParalympicsGB Board. I have a long track record of delivering medal success – in the right way – on the global stage in my roles in triathlon and athletics.”
Fred Hargreaves OBE was re-elected to the Board he first joined in November 2021. A retired Army Brigadier, Fred has some fifteen years’ intimate engagement with sport and adventurous training for serving and veteran wounded, injured and sick personnel.
He is the founder of Battle Back, the UK MOD’s programme which aids the recovery of wounded, injured and sick Service personnel through sport; was the CEO of the charity the Armed Forces ParaSnowsport Team for over 5 years; and is a Non-Executive Director in the Soldiers’ Arts Academy which provides a platform for injured veterans to use all aspects of the arts to help their recovery and transition to employment.
Whilst serving, he was also the Deputy Armed Forces Disability Champion, helping give a voice inside Defence for those serving with chronic or life-limiting conditions and disabilities, and was the MOD’s Deputy Director UK Invictus Games between 2016 and 2020.
Board members and the wider NPC membership also took the opportunity to thank Steve Ingham CBE and Graham Edmunds for their service to ParalympicsGB along with Pippa Britton OBE as she is standing down from the position of Vice Chair.
Two new Honorary Vice Presidents were also elected - Geoff Newton OBE, a former Vice Chair of ParalympicsGB and current European Paralympic Committee Executive Board Member and Jon Morgan OBE, current President of World Boccia and former ParalympicsGB Board member.
A reception was held afterwards in recognition of the contribution of Professor Nick Webborn, CBE, following his maximum eight-year tenure as Chair of ParalympicsGB.
Copy: ParalympicsGB