Our Team
Founders:
Beverley Mason
Co-Founder & Trustee (Senior Independent Director)
Beverley has seen first hand how heritage, sports and the arts are vital engines that inspire, fuel and sustain individuals to be their very best, transforming lives and communities. Her father, a former WI forces boxing champion in the Caribbean and her mother a budding pianist provide the bedrock to her values.
Lorraine Deschamps MBE
Co-Founder & Trustee
Lorraine is a Co-Founder and Trustee of Sporting Equals with a unique cross-cultural perspective, having been educated on three different continents. Born in Kenya, she spent her early childhood in East Africa, her teenage years in Brazil, and pursued her college and university education in the UK, where she currently resides.
Angela Francis
Co-Founder
Angela was a NED with an NGO of sport when she joined Beverley and Lorraine to establish Sporting Equals and brought that experience with her to the founding role. Angela’s love and passion for sport especially basketball which she played at national level and then went on to referee club teams and coach junior squads gave her a rich tapestry of experiences in both sport and life.
Trustees:
Dr Howard Haughton
Chair
Howard is a multifaceted professional with extensive expertise in finance, technology, and equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).
Barbara Thompson
Trustee
Barbara has a varied portfolio of work experiences but over the last 13 years she has been supporting global companies to optimise their business performance. She has been both an in-house internal consultant and a management consultant, the combination of those environments enhance her ability to advise and implement on strategies and design-led tactical experiences.
Naz Deen
Trustee
Naz Deen has over 20 years of experience working and mentoring in the Sports Development, Youth, Charity and Voluntary Sector as well as schools and further education settings too.
Nikita Smith
Trustee
Nikita entered the working world specializing in brand, marketing, and strategic communications spanning Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Craig Edmondson
Trustee
Craig is a qualified chartered accountant with close to 20 years experience of working in the non-for-profit and charity sector.
Yun Hui Teoh
Trustee
Yun Hui has been a dedicated advocate for diversity and inclusion in all aspects of her life, and in her career, has striven to introduce and implement real structural change in the workplace as well as changes in mindset, norms and perceptions as a driver for improving access and equality of opportunity.
Lindon Neil
Trustee
Lindon Neil is a Fellow of the Association of Corporate Treasurers (FCT) and recently completed a full five year term as an Independent NED for ARC Ratings UK Limited and ARC Ratings SA.
Sherilee Charles
Trustee
Sherilee has over a decade’s experience as an HR generalist, operating at a senior HR level specifically in the sporting landscape. She is currently Head of HR at Professional Footballers’ Association and previously worked for UK Anti-Doping and UK Sport.
Steve Shaw
Trustee
Steve is a seasoned HR professional with over 30 years of experience landing teams in both commercial and not-for-profit sectors. With more than fifteen years of executive boardroom experience across, housing, technology, advertising and e-commerce, he has spearheaded large teams in organisational transformations enhancing service delivery, engagement and culture.
Our Team
Senior Management:
Arun Kang OBE
Chief Executive
After starting his career as a youth worker, Arun worked as a BBC Radio producer for several years, before following his passion for social change and completing an MA in Promoting Equality and Managing Diversity. Arun is now the CEO of Sporting Equals, a national charity championing race equality in sport and is a leading authority on Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) having worked in the field for over twenty years.
Nik Trivedi
Director of Development
Nik has been working at a strategic and practitioner level in the public and third sectors in the fields of sport, health, community safety and regeneration for over 20 years.
Shaheen Bi
Director of Research and Insight
Shaheen graduated from Sunderland University in 2000 with a Business Studies Degree, and began her career in the housing sector working for the National Housing Federation and the Birmingham Social Housing Partnership supporting housing policy in the midlands region.
Sean Moore
Head of Programmes
Starting his journey in sports and physical activity sector as a coach 20 years ago whilst still at school, progressing to coordinating, regional, operational, partnerships, National management and now Director roles at some of the UK’s leading sport and physical activity delivery organisations. Sean is a leading authority on driving & inspiring his teams to deliver high quality outcomes.
Marie Bagley
Head of Governance and Administration
Marie is a highly skilled and accomplished administrator and manager with an impressive career spanning over 20 years. Her expertise encompasses a diverse range of areas including education, social support (with a focus on individuals with severe and enduring mental health needs as well as young and vulnerable people), team leadership and development, data analysis and reporting, research, governance, project and budget management, and marketing (including events management).
Our team:
Ellie Bradwell
Marketing and Communications Manager
Ellie is the Marketing and Communications Manager at Sporting Equals with a strong background in Marketing in the youth sports and activities sector having worked for local activities provider SSG Services and national holiday camps and NCS provider Activate.
Colby Brooks
Marketing and Events Officer
Growing up in three different countries, Colby has grown up into different cultures and environments. Making Colby flexible and adaptable, and even exposing him to the positive effect that sport has done in first and third world countries.
Yaegan Gore
Development and Partnerships Coordinator
Yaegan’s role at Sporting Equals is primarily to support the Business Development Team to increase income generation and explore further partnerships.
Caoimhe Heath
Projects Coordinator
Graduating with a 1st class degree in Sport Studies, Caoimhe’s main passion focuses on inclusion and equitable opportunities. She believes the benefits of sport should be accessible to everyone.
Tim Masih
National Partnership Manager
Tim originally joined Sporting Equals in 2013 as the London Partnership Officer having graduated from the University of Bedfordshire where his involvement led to Bedfordshire being selected to host 12 Paralympics teams before their move to the Athlete Village for the London Paralympics Games in 2012. Now he leads community engagement.
Komalpreet Pahl
Administrator
I have worked in admin for five years in a range of organisations/businesses, since completing my business studies course, which has allowed me to fine tune my skill set. I am highly organised, independent, and professional individual, who is always willing to learn and assist others.
Gemma Parry
Partnership Manager
Having known since the age of 8 that she wanted to work in the world of sport, and learning more about the power of using sport as a vehicle for change and social good at 17, Gemma has worked in sport for development for 20 years in a range of settings including education, corporate, National Governing Body, and charity in a variety of roles including research, policy, elite sports academy management, project management, and events.
Rina Thiara
Grants & Governance Coordinator
Graduating from the University of Chester back in June 2020 studying BSc Psychology, Rina came to believe her passions lie within human behavior. Throughout her life she has been part of numerous charity schemes and believed making a difference in the communities were a driving force for her.