The Board of BaseballSoftballUK Ltd, based on provisions of the company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, is made up of a Chair, three Directors appointed by each Federation and up to five Independent Directors who can bring valuable skills to the Board.

Below is an explanation from BSUK Chair Geof Ellingham about the role of the Independent Directors, followed by brief CVs for the Independent Directors, Geof Ellingham and the Federation representatives.

The Board provides policy direction and review for BSUK and the work carried out by BSUK staff, and meets on a quarterly basis. But much of the Board’s work is now carried out through subcommittees that meet more regularly and consist of both Independent and Federation Directors. These subcommittees cover areas such as development strategy, diversity, employment, finance, governance, marketing and the service level agreement (SLA) between BSUK and the Federations.

BSUK CHAIR: Geof Ellingham

I have been heavily involved in both baseball and softball at a national and local level for over 15 years, including two years as BSF President and seven years as a member of BSUK Board. I have also served as youth officer to the BSF, the LSF (London Softball Federation) and to BSUK.

 

I founded the London Meteorites Youth Baseball/Softball Club in 1994, and was club director until 2005. During that time, the club ran a successful PlayBall! Programme as well as youth baseball and softball teams in all age brackets. I was a founder member of the Rainbow Raiders softball club, and was the manager of the GB Girls U16 Fastpitch team for its first overseas trip to Florida in 2001.

 

I have been actively involved in voluntary sector roles for various organisations throughout my adult life and am currently a director of the Moneywise Credit Union and a welfare rights charity, both in Newcastle.

 

In my working life, I spent five years as a primary school teacher before leaving teaching to become a management and technology consultant, leading major projects for companies such as Vodafone and Lehman Brothers. In 2007 I became Head of IT for Your Homes Newcastle, a not-for-profit body managing council homes across the city.

An Introduction from BSUK Chair Geof Ellingham:

When BaseballSoftballUK was reconstituted as a limited company, we made an important change to the structure of the Board responsible for the organisation.

 

In addition to six Directors appointed directly by the two Federations (three each from the BSF and BBF), five places were reserved for “Independent Directors” – people who have no direct connection to the BBF Board or BSF Executive, but who can contribute valuable skills and experience to the BSUK Board and bring a different perspective to the challenges facing us.

 

Over the past two years, we have made a few occasional and generally short-lived Independent Director appointments, but it became clear over this period that to make the role really work we needed at least three or four strong, committed people in the new positions who could support each other in performing the important role of “critical friend”, and who could each commit to joining the Board for a three-year term.

 

We therefore carried out a recruitment exercise in the run-up to the last BSUK AGM, with representatives from both Federations joining me in reviewing CVs, interviewing candidates and balancing skills and experience.

 

In the end, the BSUK Board was able to recommend five extremely capable candidates to the AGM – and all five candidates were approved by both Federations (Katie Hall has since become one of the BSF's representatives on the BSUK Board). Brief CVs of the new Directors are provided below, along with those of the existing Nominated Directors, and I am sure that Federation members will join me in welcoming our new Board members. I am thrilled to have five such capable people offer their time, skills and experience to us in a voluntary capacity, and I am confident that they will each make very considerable contributions to our sports over the coming months and years.

INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS

Will Parker

I have been enthralled by baseball since watching my first game (Blue Jays v Twins) at the age of five at the Metrodome in Minnesota. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to spend a large amount of time working and holidaying in America, allowing me to play a number of seasons of softball and watch as many live Red Sox games as possible!

 

I am currently employed as Senior Competition Manager for Gloucestershire. It is an exciting new development role working with school children of all ages from across the entire county. I manage the county team of Competition Managers and we work with targeted National Governing Bodies of sport (NGBs) to develop high quality competitions for children and young people. I also work as part of the Youth Sport Trust's 'Enhance National Coaching Team' delivering leadership training.

 

My previous roles have included Senior Coach and Regional Development Manager for Arsenal Soccer Schools (West Country and South Wales) and Partnership Development Manager (PDM) for the Cheltenham & North Tewkesbury School Sport Partnership.

Sally Wiber

Softball has been a major part of my life for almost 20 years. I’m originally from Australia, where I was involved with the sport predominantly as a player, but also as an umpire, club administrator and coach. I’m very passionate about junior development and have coached a number of junior girls’ teams over the years. I was also fortunate to have the opportunity to be a softball development ambassador for my district, working with Australian representative Nicole Richardson in running a number of clinics for junior players.

 

Since moving to the UK from Australia in 2005, I became involved with the Greater London Softball Mixed League, playing for the Muppets.

 

With almost 10 years of PR and marketing experience, I have worked for some of Australia’s largest corporate organisations and PR agencies, specialising in public sector, health and education. I currently work for one of London’s leading mid-sized agencies, Band & Brown Communications.

 

I attended Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, where I was awarded a BA (Public Relations) and Grad Dip (Marketing).

 

 

Vacancies: Independent Directors

There are currently two Independent Director vacancies on the BSUK Board.

BBF BOARD REPRESENTATIVES

Mark Salter

My interest in Baseball started for real when visiting my buddies in Rhode Island in 1986, and they took me to Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox. I lived in Valley Forge, PA in 1990 & 91, and played Co-Ed Softball for 2 seasons. As Fenway was too far to drive, I used to go watch the Phillies at the old Veterans Stadium quite frequently.

 

I was a co-founder of Bracknell Baseball Club in 1992, and since that time have played, coached, umpired, and administrated, plus performed many maintenance functions, as well as washing up and cooking when the need has arisen. For the last few years, as well as coaching the adult 2nd team at Bracknell – men and women - I have coached youngsters at all levels at our club, at local schools, and for other youth organisations.

 

I care about the future of the sport, and I care about what we put in place for the kids who will be playing in that future. I also care about what our sport represents currently, and am passionate about our National teams Programme. I finally decided that the only way to prove that was to ‘step up to the plate’, and was thrilled to be voted in as BBF President at the 2010 BBF AGM.

 

On the work front, I was in IT for over 20 years, specialising in Software Support & Applications Management; I spent a few years indulging in a passion as a Landscaper/Gardener; and now work in for Network Rail as a Project Planner (Construction sector), focussing on the finance and scheduling of Major projects within the Project Management discipline.

Mark Mullins

I live and work in London.

 

My involvement in baseball began through my sons, who both play for the London Mets Baseball Club. For the past three years I have been the club’s Secretary, concentrating on the organisation and development of the club. During that time we have expanded both our youth and adult baseball programmes in the club and have hosted a number of events, including two GB baseball internationals, Fantasy Baseball events and the 2007 baseball Youth Final Four. Currently, the club is negotiating, along with our sister softball club the London Meteors, for a long-term lease of our field from Haringey Council, securing the future of baseball and softball in Finsbury Park.

 

I have been a lawyer (barrister) for 20 years and a part-time judge for 10 years. The main areas I work in include employment law, discrimination law, mental health and mental incapacity, professional discipline and regulation, the safeguarding of children and vulnerable groups and cases concerning the power and duties of local authorities, health trusts and other public bodies.

 

I was a member of the Bar Council’s Equal Opportunities (Disability) Committee for four years and have conducted training in disability and human rights for people with mental disabilities in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Kosovo for the Mental Disability Advocacy Center, Budapest.

James Pearce

BSF BOARD REPRESENTATIVES

Stella Ackrell

I have been playing softball in the UK since 2002. I have been involved in sports committees (Badminton and Softball) holding the positions of Treasurer and Secretary, and I am the current Chair for the Oxford Softball League.

 

As a member of the BSUK Board since 2008 I have been involved with all aspects of the both fast and slowpitch softball, and sit on various committees within BSUK.

Carmel Keswick

I am a business and IT professional of over 25 years experience, and have an enviable reputation with regard to systems integration, information management, business transformation and change. Working globally, I have delivered programs to central and local government and national and multinational companies, and I have owned my own companies.

 

I have also been successful in the global marketing and promotion of adventure and extreme sports, including Heliskiing.

 

I have had a lifelong professional and voluntary involvement in sports, as a competitor, coach, umpire and manager. My involvement in softball began in 2002 when my daughter started playing fastpitch as part of a school initiative. I have progressed from being a personal chauffeur for my daughter to training and games to becoming a member of the BSF Executive and one of the BSF’s nominated delegates on the BSUK Board.

 

I was first elected to the BSF Executive in 2006 as the Youth and Schools Development Officer and have also been a Team Manager for GB youth fastpitch teams since that time.

 

In 2005 I discovered slowpitch and supported the staging of the European Slowpitch Championships hosted by the BSF in Southhampton in 2008. I enjoys watching both fastpitch and slowpitch, but couldn’t play either to save my life! I’m happy to work behind the scenes and let the players get on with it!

 

My personal goal is to promote and grow softball across all ages and abilities, and to remove any barriers to playing.

 

Mike Jennings