A record-breaking Paralympian has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association.
Dave Clarke will succeed Mike Sharrock who steps down at the end of February after more than four years at the helm.
Clarke represented his country 144 times in blind football scoring a record 128 goals in the process. He competed for ParalympicsGB at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Paralympic Games and also in Goalball at Atlanta 1996.
He was a torchbearer at the London 2012 opening ceremony, passing it to Margaret Maughan, Britain’s first ever Paralympic gold medal winner, who then lit the Paralympic Cauldron.
As well as his sporting prowess, Clarke will bring the benefit of a highly successful career in banking spanning 24 years before he turned his attention to the charitable sector at the Royal National Institute of Blind People where he was most recently Chief Operating Officer producing transformational change in the organisation.
Dave Clarke said: “I am thrilled to be appointed as Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association, an organisation that is close to my heart. It is an honour to join at such an exciting time, as we build momentum towards Paris 2024 and strive to deliver greater social impact to challenge perceptions and break down barriers for all disabled people in the UK.
“My experience as a Paralympian has shown me the unique power sport can have to change attitudes and to boost physical and mental wellbeing for everybody.”
Clarke has also been an integral member of the BPA, having served two terms as Chair of the Athletes’ Commission, and for six years on the board, including being the current Vice-chair.
Nick Webborn, Chair of the BPA, said: “Dave brings a superb range of experience in sport, business and the charitable sector to the British Paralympic Association as we aspire to have even greater impact not only in continued excellence during Summer and Winter Paralympics Games but also on wider society.
“He knows the organisation so well and will hit the ground running. It is also a clear statement of intent from the BPA to lead from the front in inclusion and diversity, with disabled people appointed to leadership positions on merit.
“I would also like to thank Mike Sharrock for his tireless work as CEO as he has steered the organisation through some of the most challenging times in its history with the Covid-19 impacted Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games. He has left us well placed to continue to inspire a better world for disabled people.”
As Vice-chair Clarke was integral to developing the BPA’s ambitious 10-year strategic plan, Championing Change, and now has the opportunity to lead its delivery. The strategy sets out two key priorities:
Best Prepared Team: Over the next ten years we will ensure that the UK continues to be a world leader in Paralympic sport.
Social Impact: To harness the positive power of ParalympicsGB athletes to inspire social change focusing on public attitudes, improving the lived experience for disabled people and to create an environment where all disabled people can thrive.
He will begin his new position at the BPA on 13 March 2023.
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About the British Paralympic Association and ParalympicsGB
The British Paralympic Association is the National Paralympic Committee for the UK, responsible for the promotion of the Paralympic movement in Great Britain and selecting, entering and funding the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Paralympic team.
ParalympicsGB is the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Paralympic Team competing at the summer and winter Paralympic Games. We know that the outstanding performances of our athletes have a powerful impact on the British public and can shift perceptions of disability in society, helping to inspire a better world for disabled people.
The BPA would like to thank the National Lottery, UK Sport and our Gold Partners adidas, Aldi, Allianz, bp, Bupa, CMR Surgical, Dreams, Hogan Lovells, Nestlé Cereals UK, Ocean, Salesforce, Toyota, and our Partners asos, Citi, Randox Health and Sir Robert McAlpine for their support. Further details are available at https://paralympics.org.uk/
