Surrey FA is delighted to announce the appointment of Alex Warner as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees alongside Yvonne Rees as Senior Independent Director. Both roles are effective from Monday 17th January.
Alex Warner lives in Shepperton and brings a wealth of commercial, operational, and management experience to Surrey FA together with a passion and in-depth understanding of grassroots football.
Alex’s experience comes from the transport, logistics, and leisure sectors, where he has held Chair, Managing Director, and other board-level posts at Royal Mail, South Eastern Trains, Londonlines, National Rail, First Bus, Midland Mainline, and Flash Forward Consulting in addition to senior roles at London Underground South Central Trains and British Airways.
Alex is currently Chair of the Network Rail Supervisory Board for West Midlands and Grand Rail Collaboration which is responsible for the strategic oversight, development, and ongoing performance of the railway in the Region – a role that he took over from Andy Street, Mayor, West Midlands. He is also Managing Director, Tracsis Transport Consultancy, part of the Tracsis PLC Group.
He was also one of the founding non-executive Directors at Mytime Active Limited accountable for leisure centres, clubs, facilities, and active lifestyle programmes across Bromley Borough and beyond.
Alex commented on his appointment: “My obsession with football started as a 5-year-old when I stood in the Arthur Wait enclosure with my family and friends at Selhurst Park and in the intervening 45 years, my number one passion is non-league football and I spend most midweek nights and weekends watching local football, at all levels, throughout Surrey. As a Surrey resident, I’m privileged to be joining such a progressive and vibrant organisation and supporting our CEO Sally Lockyer and the team implementing the exciting 10-year Strategy for Surrey F.A. I can’t wait to start.”
Yvonne Rees is appointed into the new role of Senior Independent Director and also brings significant senior leadership experience to the Board. Yvonne is currently Chief Executive Officer of Oxfordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council. She is however a local girl who has worked at both Surrey County Council and Mole Valley District Council during her local government career.
Yvonne is a passionate advocate for the benefits that football and indeed all sport activity has on both the physical and mental well-being of our local communities.
Yvonne commented: “I am really privileged to take up this role and hope I can add value to the ambitions and activity of Surrey FA. I look forward to working alongside my Board colleagues and staff. 2022 here we come!”
Surrey FA Interim Chair, Soye Briggs said: “We are thrilled to welcome Alex and Yvonne to the Surrey FA family. Their experience will be pivotal to our Board and wider organisation as we continue to navigate the impacts of COVID on grassroots football but more importantly embark on our ambitious and exciting long-term strategy for the game across the county. The future is looking bright for Surrey FA.”
Throughout the recruitment process, Surrey FA was supported by the executive search firm, Perret Laver as part of a national FA and Sport England pilot to drive Board diversity. Following the appointment of Alex and Yvonne, Surrey FA will be recruiting additional Independent Non-Executive Directors as well as the Chair of the Youth Forum that will have an ex-officio role on the Board of Trustees. All roles will be advertised shortly.
–ENDS–
Contact:
Josh Symmonds, Head of Marketing & Partnerships
Surrey Football Association
E: josh.symmonds@surreyfa.com | T: 01372 384742 | M: 07809409215
Surrey FA is a registered charity with the aim of developing, enabling, and governing all aspects of grassroots football across Surrey. Located at Meadowbank Football Ground, Dorking, and covering an area of 15 boroughs and over 1 million people. We support more than 60,000 players, 4,000 teams, 1,000 referees, and 3,000 coaches alongside thousands of volunteer administrators in our clubs and leagues.
Surrey FA’s social and economic impact equals £410m per annum. SFA is one of 51 local County Football Association’s affiliated with The FA.
SFA’s dedicated team of staff and volunteers are fully committed to providing equal opportunities for everyone to participate, work and enjoy the game.
www.surreyfa.com
