Board of Directors

Chris Grant OBE is one of the UK’s leading facilitators of organisational change. Chris has been CEO of a successful UK-wide charity (Sported); chaired one of the UK’s biggest ever public-facing behaviour-change programmes (the introduction of Chip & PIN); tutored multiple medal-winning coaches in the Olympic and Paralympic sports, and worked as a consultant on leadership, strategy and change across the public, private and voluntary sectors.

Recently appointed Chair of the British Basketball Federation, he also led English Professional Football’s Integrated Coaching Board, and from 2015 to 2021 he chaired the judging of the Sport Industry Awards.

Results-driven leader with expertise in Program and Change Management, recognized for driving organizational growth through innovative, strategic approaches. Skilled in inspiring and motivating teams, I excel at providing clear direction, streamlining processes, and delivering successful project outcomes.

Michelle has considerable experience of leading the development and implementation of performance coach education strategies through her work with NGBs at Sport Coach UK and performance coaches over the last fifteen years, delivering specialist coach development programmes. She has recently developed a Performance Coaching MSC/PGD for Sheffield Hallam University and British Judo which has been accredited by the UK Coaching Standards Group to fulfil the requirements of the UKCC Level 4 NGB Master Coach.

In addition she is an accredited Executive Coach through the European Coach Mentoring Scheme and a coach mentor for Olympic and High Performance Coaches from across a wide variety of sports.

Russell Bell served two terms as Senior Independent Director at Basketball England between 2018 and 2024, including spells as Vice Chair and Interim Chair.

He formed a part of the pioneering Crystal Palace Basketball Club that achieved considerable success in the 1970s and early 80s. Since that time, he has been involved in the coaching of junior and senior teams at school and local levels in the London and Sussex Leagues. Bell also still participates in the annual GB Masters tournaments.

Bell’s is a solicitor by profession - he recently retired as senior partner of a regional law firm, where he specialised in corporate finance transactions.

Melissa Lawton is chief content officer at SailGP.

Prior to SailGP, Lawton was the Head of Sports Production at Meta where she was Emmy nominated. She was also previously Head of Live Content for Red Bull TV for five years. Her 25+-year-long career has included long-term production roles at events such Olympics, FIFA World Cup and the Commonwealth Games.

Lawton has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, and a Master of Arts in International Relations and Affairs from the University of New South Wales.

Retired Chief Executive Officer with over 32 years’ experience in executive sports administration and financial services in London, Edinburgh and Sussex. Experienced in servicing boards in voluntary sports sector and on non-governmental arm’s length bodies, Sadie has held several influential positions, including serving as Basketball Scotland Director and FIBA delegate, Sport England Community & NGB Development Manager and Active Sussex CEO. She has held NED positions on the Boards of Sport England, the Active Partnership National Network and London Sport during this time.

Known for her passion for basketball, Sadie played a strong role in the development of the sport throughout her career as an elite player, qualified referee, table official and coach tutor. She has also represented both England and Great Britain 39 times, was a London 2012 Paralympic Volunteer and served as England & Great Britain Basketball U18 National Team Manager from 2012-18 in multiple FIBA European Championships. Sadie was awarded an MBE for Services to Sport in 2014.

Simon Turner is a co-founder of MVMT sports, a company that helps coaches perform and sports organisations to use sport as a movement for social good. He co-founded We Play Together, the charity that operates Blaze Basketball Club and The Crags Centre in Edinburgh. He's also a Director at UPSHOT C.I.C., a London-based social enterprise that helps sports organisations to evidence the impact they make. Since 2003, Simon has played, coached and volunteered across many aspects of the basketball community in Britain.

Prior to the London Olympics, Simon spent four years as Player Development Manager for Basketball Scotland that included a secondment to British Basketball working on the emerging player pathway. During that period, he was mentored by Bill McInnes, the first Chair of the British Basketball Federation, who's legacy of volunteering and leadership Simon hopes to continue.

Anne-Marie has been actively involved in basketball for over 15 years and is currently Vice Chair of Basketball Wales. A former Welsh international volleyball player with a background in elite sport and governance.

With over 25 years of experience in financial services, Anne-Marie is a executive leader specialising in strategy, marketing, product and proposition management, brand communications and partnerships. Anne-Marie has worked closely with a number of sporting organisations on naming rights and sponsorship deals, helping to drive commercial growth in sport.Need a Bio.

Martin is an experienced media and communications executive with a particular expertise in revenue generation. Before migrating to media, Martin had a successful professional basketball career, winning 18 Championships in UK and abroad. He proudly represented both England and Great Britain at the highest level, considering this to be the greatest honour he achieved. He was CEO of the Basketball Players Association, a body that he was instrumental in setting up. Martin has also been a broadcaster, journalist, and sports commentator for over 30 years.

Proud to be Birmingham born and bred, Martin also sits on the board of The Dame Kelly Holmes Trust.

Grace is a seasoned leader, with strong board experience, which includes engaging with and representing communities and working in the public spotlight. A Specialist Advisor and Consultant for Sport, working in Case Management, Safeguarding, Governance, Risk, Integrity/Compliance and Senior Leadership

Using her extensive background in mediation and specialism in arbitration and tribunals, Grace has been involved in developing best practices and policies which have been used to form the legal basis of several initiatives in her community. She is currently the Board Lead for UK Anti-Doping matters, Chair of the Technical Commission and FIBA Integrity SPOC for GB.

With nearly 30 years of dedicated involvement in the game of basketball, Gavin has contributed to the sport as a player, coach, administrator, and since 2011, as a FIBA International Referee. His officiating career has taken him across the UK and Europe, where he had the privilege of refereeing high-level matches. Notable highlights include officiating at the EuroBasket Women Finals in 2015 and the pre-Olympic friendly between Great Britain and the USA Women’s National Team in Manchester in 2012.