MARK GRANBY CONFIRMED AS CHAIR OF UKA RULES GROUP

Following a comprehensive interview process, Mark Granby has been confirmed as the new independent chair of the UKA Rules Group.

Mark – whose primary role is to lead and oversee the Rules Group to ensure that it can effectively provide advice and make recommendations to the UKA Board – is a former police superintendent who served 30 years with Greater Manchester Police. Prior to his police service Mark studied Physical Education and Sports Science at Loughborough University.

Following his retirement, he established his own company, MLG Governance Services, to provide support and coaching skills to other organisations through his designation as a National Leader of Governance by the Department of Education. This includes conducting external reviews of governance at schools and trusts, providing a coaching service to other chairs of governance boards, and the provision of other chairing or leadership facilitation. He has also provided safeguarding consultancy services, including leading on serious case reviews as an accredited independent lead reviewer.

Mark holds a series of non-executive roles including chair of trustees of Bury Athletic Club where he led the club’s committee through the application process to register as a charitable incorporated organisation. He is also the club’s lead welfare officer.

Appointed for an initial period of two years with the opportunity for this to be extended by mutual agreement, he will work collaboratively with the UKA Board, senior executives, and other key stakeholders to ensure that the Rules Group operates effectively and functions efficiently in line with the Group’s wider Terms of Reference.

Chris Moss, Head of Development at UKA said: “As one of the standout candidates, the panel, with agreement from the UKA Board, agreed unanimously to offer Mark this position. His extensive skillset, knowledge and experience – acquired throughout both his professional career and from within the sport as a volunteer – align with the requirements of the role, while his involvement with Bury Athletic Club specifically reflects his passion for, and commitment to, the sport.”

Mark said: “I’m delighted to have been appointed as the new chair of the UKA Rules Group. I consider it a privilege to serve our sport in this capacity, and it is important that I begin my tenure by thanking Tim Souter who has served as such an excellent chair over the last eight years. I am looking forward to working with the members of the Rules Group who bring such a massive amount of knowledge and experience to the work the team does.

“My background in athletics has been very much at a grassroots club level and I understand the importance of the rules of our sport being understood and applied at that level as well as on the national and international stage. So much of our sport is about measurement and comparison and it my hope that the Rules Group will continue to serve athletics well by providing sound advice to the UKA Board in navigating an everchanging landscape. As a former police officer, I understand the importance of rules and their application with integrity and fairness.”

ENDS

About the UKA Rules Group:

The role of the UKA Rules Group is to advise, and make recommendations to, the UKA Board on matters  relating to the rules for competition across all competition disciplines of the sport of athletics in the UK. This advice extends to: proposals for changes to, or clarification of, the ‘Rules of Competition’, whether received from World Athletics, World Para Athletics, or otherwise; any regulations, directives, policies or codes which are affected by, or are likely to affect the ‘Rules of Competition’; and any other matter assigned to it by the Board.