UK Athletics Members

Dame Denise Lewis

President

[Current Term End Date : AGM 2027]

Denise is currently the President of UKA having been elected at the AGM in December 2023. An Olympic heptathlon champion from the Sydney Games in 2000, Denise enjoyed a decorated career in the sport winning Olympic bronze in 1996, two world silver medals, a European title and two Commonwealth titles.

Since retiring from the sport, Denise has undertaken an array of television work for the BBC, become President of Commonwealth Games England and been an ambassador and patron for several initiatives, events and charities.

As a young athlete she competed for her local clubs; first Wolverhampton & Bilston AC and then Birchfield Harriers.

 


Hannah England

Vice President

[Current Term End Date : AGM 2027]

Hannah is currently the Vice President of UKA having been elected at the AGM in December 2023. Hannah won world silver in the women’s 1500m in Daegu in 2011, and represented GB & NI for over a decade at major Championships.

Since retirement from the sport, Hannah became the first Chair of the reformed UKA Athlete Commission which enhanced her understanding of sports governance and provided the opportunity to represent the athlete perspective to the decision makers in the sport. This role included being a UKA Member and a Board Observer.

Hannah has completed the UK Sport International Leadership Program, a four year term on the European Athletics Athlete Committee, and worked with British Gymnastics on cultural and athlete representation projects. She is also a qualified coach and volunteers as a coach at the University of Birmingham AC. She is also involved in grassroots athletics through the Birmingham Athletics Academy [5-16 year-olds] which she co-founded in 2018.

 


Gary Shaughnessy

England Representative

[No term end date as representative position]

Gary is an active member of Tadley Runners and a registered athlete with England Athletics.

Within his professional career, he most recently worked for M&G Investments & Prudential Group, Fidelity International, and Zurich, ultimately being promoted to the Group Executive Committee as CEO for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

In 2019, three years after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s, Gary stepped back from full time commercial life and took on the roles of chair at Parkinson’s UK, senior adviser to the Zurich Group and chair of the Z Zurich Foundation, a global charitable trust.

Gary has completed 25 marathons and enjoyed over a quarter of a century with Whitchurch United Football Club, as a player, chair, youth team manager and now president.


Ronald Morrison

Scotland Representative

[No term end date as representative position]

Ron was elected as President of scottishathletics in 2019, having previously held the post from 1997-99.

An U21 Hammer internationalist he is still semi–active and has won nine Scottish Masters titles in various events. His love of cross country running saw him President of the SCCU (1985-6) and the SAF (1997-9) where he led the setting up of the current professional business structure of the sport.

As an official, his expertise has been recognised with the UKA Endurance Official of the Year award, and the appointment as Referee at the World Cross Country championships in Edinburgh in 2008 and Marathon Referee for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

He has a professional background as Professor of Computing at St Andrews University, where Ron remains closely involved with coaching endurance athletes at the University and through Fife AC.


Steve Perks

Wales Representative

[No term end date as representative position]

Steve was appointed Chair of Welsh Athletics in April 2019.

Steve has a thorough and detailed knowledge of the sport having worked in a variety of paid and voluntary roles and competed for Wales as a sprinter himself. He has an impressive track record as a leader, having been a headmaster of two secondary schools, Brecon High School and Ysgol Dyffryn Aman Ammanford.

Steve has also worked at the highest levels in the sport of Athletics having been the head coach at the Victoria Commonwealth Games in 1994, the GB relay coach at the Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004) Olympic Games where the relay team won the gold medal.

In 2004 he was inducted into the Coaching Hall of Fame by the Princess Royal at the Coaching Awards in London.


Paul Lawther

Northern Ireland Representative

[No term end date as representative position]

Paul has been an Athletics Northern Ireland Board member since August 2020 and Vice-Chair from November 2020. He was a teacher for twenty years before moving to Belfast Education and Library Board where he held a senior position in education with responsibility for a wide range of educational initiatives relating to school improvement, governance, and teacher education

Paul is a founder member of Annadale Striders (established 1973) and has held a number of positions within the committee since then. As a competitive athlete he represented Great Britain both at Junior and Senior levels in events from the European Junior Championships to the World Student Games and represented Northern Ireland at two Commonwealth Games and Northern Ireland in the World Cross-country. He has run a number of Sub 4 minute miles.

Paul has been involved in athletics for fifty plus years and he hopes that this experience along with work in education can bring a positive and supportive role to the UKA Members


 

Andrew Heyes

Athlete Representative

[No term end date as representative position]

Andrew is a middle to long distance runner who has competed for Great Britain on both track and cross-country. He was British Indoor Champion in the 3000m in 2018.

Andrew holds a master’s degree in medical sciences from the University of Oxford, a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Tulsa, a master’s degree in sport psychology from Sheffield Hallam University, a master’s degree in psychology from Manchester Metropolitan University, and has just completed his PhD thesis in sport psychology at the University of Birmingham.

Andrew is a member of the UKA Athletes’ Commission, taking on role of Chair from November 2021. In addition to this, Andrew also sits on the UK Anti-Doping Athlete Commission and the WADA Social Science Research Expert Advisory Group.


Roland Gibbard

Road Runners Representative

[Current Term End Date : AGM 2026]

A retired internal auditor, Roland has been involved in road running for most of his life as an athlete, official and race organiser and is a member of Charnwood AC.

He currently holds the posts of President of BARR and is a member of the UKA Road Running Management Group and the South West Regional Licensing Panel. He acts as a tutor for UKA.

Roland welcomes any points that members would like him to raise on their behalf and this to include cross country, trail, fell or multi terrain disciplines.


Karl Ponty

Coaches Representative

[Current Term End Date : AGM 2025]

Karl has a varied background have worked in Medical Laboratory Sciences, Analyst Programming, Leisure Facility Management, Community Sports Development and as a School Teacher.  He has coached a variety of sports for over 35 years and athletics at grassroots, for most of the last 25 years.

Through coaching in athletics, Karl has become increasingly involved in voluntary administration of athletics, having held most regular roles on club committees.  He is currently Secretary of DADA which is an organisation of local coaches from different clubs  that run midweek open meets in and around Derby; an England Athletics in the East Midlands Regional Council; Vice Chair of Derbyshire Athletics; Finance Officer of the UK Youth Development League and Chair of Derby AC.

Karl embraces (and often initiates) conversations involving differing opinions of those passionate to improve opportunities for athletes and volunteers, and attempts understand and represent the diverse views of coaches and others from the grassroots, to ensure that our great sport thrives in the longterm.


Tony Shiret

Clubs Representative

[Current Term End Date: AGM 2027]

Tony was on the England Athletics London Region Council (Chair or Co-Chair 2012-2017) and Chair of the National Council 2013-2017. He is currently vice Chair of the Athletics Research Group. He was previously a UKA Member from 2015 to 2017.

Tony is a Life Member of Newham & Essex Beagles AC (Chair 2017-2022). Currently his main engagement is as a coach for middle distance/hurdles and as NEB’s meeting promoter. In 2023 he promoted eight meetings (around 2000 competitors).

Tony is also a level one starter/marks and level one field judge.

 


Arwel Williams

Officials Representative

[Current Term End Date: AGM 2027]

Arwel retired as a Senior Police Officer and has been the Hon Sec. of Liverpool Harriers & AC for over a decade, having been at the club for nearly 30 years, with many roles at the club including being YA Team Manger and a L3 Middle Distance Coach. He chairs the UK Athletics Endurance Education and Training Sub-Group, is the Endurance Representative on the Northern Athletics Executive Board and the Chair of Merseyside County AA.

He has refereed internationally, including the IAAF Half Marathon in Cardiff and the Dubai Marathon in 2019 amongst many other events. He was the Out-of-Stadium Events Manager for the 2017 IAAF World Championships. He has been selected as an official at every major championship staged in the UK, since the 2012 Olympic Games. He is also an experienced Field Referee who has regularly refereed at national level and has been a member of the UKA Field Peer Group.

He is a regular tutor on endurance officials’ courses and is closely involved with organising events at local, regional and national level in both Track and Field, and Endurance. He has significant experience working in governance professionally and within athletics. He would be pleased to hear from all officials with any views that would enhance their experience and the sport.


Grace Hall

Clubs Representative

[Current Term End Date: AGM 2025]

Retired accounts manager, the final 20 plus years as company accountant for a West Yorkshire SME.

Involved in athletics for thirty years, Previous roles:

  • Secretary & / or Treasurer of the following T & F leagues
  • West Yorkshire, North of England & NJAL

Currently.

  • Chair of the Youth Development League. (YDL)
  • Chair of the Association of Athletics Leagues (AAL)
  • Honorary life member of Spenborough & District Athletics Club