Paralympic coup for leading Birmingham business woman
As the Paralympics kick off this week one leading Birmingham business woman has been appointed on to the board of British Wheelchair Basketball.
Entrepreneur and Birmingham University lecturer Michelle Leavesley is one of the first appointments to the board from outside the sport in its 38-year-long history.
The successful Managing Director and founder of Jewellery Quarter-based company Citydesk Sport will take up her role on the board, as an Executive Committee Member, with immediate effect to support the team with marketing communication as it enters the spotlight during the Paralympic Games.
Charlie Bethel, CEO of British Wheelchair Basketball (BWB) said:
“As a National Governing Body with a strong track record in both engagement and performance sport, we have enjoyed considerable growth over the past few years.
We are now of a size where we need to grow our board and broaden our horizons to the new opportunities that await us, both during and following the Paralympic Games.
We have appointed Michelle Leavesley to bolster our marketing expertise and mentor our communication and press team. We are very hopeful that with Michelle's expertise we can capitalise on new approaches to engagement and communication."
Mrs Leavesley has said it is an ‘honour’ to be appointed to the board ahead of the Paralympic Games. She said:
"It was a great honour to be asked to join the board of British Wheelchair Basketball at such an exciting and in some respects a step changing time for the sport.
We have already seen the power of the Olympics on the Nation and I am sure that the British Wheelchair Basketball squads have the potential to reignite the public’s passion for all things sport, for a second time this summer.
As a newcomer to Basketball I have much to learn about the sport but I am sure that I will share a common understanding with my boardroom colleagues of the tremendous potential it has to change people's lives."
Michelle has had a colourful career in Sport, having worked for Nottingham City Council on Community Engagement and International Events before joining the Lawn Tennis Association where she was promoted to lead the Major Facilities Investment portfolio, implementing the first grants system for the country. After 10 years on national governing body delivery she moved into the Commercial sector running the well-established and successful Citydesk Sport. She also lectures at Birmingham Business School on the MSc Marketing Communications programme.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Citydesk Sport
- Formed in 2008 Citydesk Sport offers an array of marketing communication services including market analysis, strategy development, communications planning, social media strategies, communications delivery and outsourced marketing management.
- Citydesk Sport manages media campaigns for a host of government bodies and national organisations. These include Give it a Go London, Community Games and Get into Golf, to name a few.
- The company was set up in Birmingham to provide, for sport, top quality marketing communication support and solutions for businesses looking to reach UK-wide audiences, outside of London.
- Michelle Leavesley has worked in the sports marketing industry for more than 20 years. She is a representative on a number of boards and is the Chair of the West Midlands Institute of Young Directors.
British Wheelchair Basketball
- British Wheelchair Basketball (BWB) is the governing body for wheelchair basketball in the UK.
- The BWB elected Executive Committee is responsible for the governance and direction of policy for the sport.
- The British Wheelchair Basketball League was formed in 1974 and following this the Association, now BWB, was founded in 1982. Since then BWB has grown dramatically.
- At the Beijing Paralympic Games the GB men’s team won bronze while the women’s team finished in 8th place.
- The sport has an administrative office in Loughborough, Leicestershire and employs eight full time staff and two part time staff members to manage the demands of the growth of the sport and to ensure it runs efficiently.
- The organisation is responsible for the selection and training of the team that represent Great Britain in international tournaments, including the World Championships and Paralympic Games as well as the promotion of the sport amongst prospective players, spectators and fans.
Donna Roddy
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