About us Our governance Board members Boccia England, as a Registered Charity and a Company Limited by Guarantee, is governed by a Board of Directors, the majority of whom are Independent. Our charity acts in accordance with our Articles of Association. The Board operate following an agreed Terms of Reference. We currently have nine members that make up the Boccia England board. Our board is made up of eight Directors/Trustees and one Player Advocate, further details can be found below. Independent Chair Mark Gannon Mark joined as Independent Chair of the Boccia England Board in 2022. Mark holds the role of CEO of UK Coaching and has had a long-standing career in the sector working in a range of senior roles. He first became involved in boccia as a teacher where he regularly taught and delivered boccia to encourage inclusive practice in Physical Education and School Sport. Mark said of his appointment, “I am delighted to be joining a great team who look after boccia in England. Boccia can be played by everyone, but it also has the power to truly change the lives of people with physical disabilities. A truly inclusive activity and sport for all, it can connect families, friends, and communities where everyone can participate." Senior Independent Director & Treasurer Owen Watson Owen is a qualified accountant with experience in the sports sector and previous Board experience as Treasurer. He has executive level experience working on strategic commercial financial analysis and taking the lead on financial contracts. Within the board Owen is the Chair of the Governance, Audit, Nominations and Remuneration committees. Independent Director & Sport Committee Chair Rob Aubry Rob is the Head Coach of British Para-Swimming and been employed within high-performance sport for the last 15 years. Under Rob’s coaching leadership British Para-Swimming saw the most medals returned from Tokyo2020 by any British Olympic or Paralympic sport. Within the board Rob is Chair of the Sport Committee and is leading our work to develop the sport alongside our board and wider team. Independent Director Samantha Rock Sam is passionate about making sport accessible to everyone at all levels and in all roles, from player to workforce to spectator. With over 10 years' experience working in disability sport, Sam's experience spans both grassroots and elite sport. Sam has been responsible for increasing grassroots participation, developing workforce education, delivering safeguarding and disciplinary functions as well as coordinating training, competition programmes for GB athletes and supporting international classification compliance processes. Independent Director Dan Newton Dan is a CEO of a sports organisation and national governing body, with over 15 years' experience as a sports development professional. His work has covered supporting county sports partnerships and national governing bodies at a local regional and national level. Independent Director Chris Lee Chris is a Chartered Certified Accountant with experience across a range of sectors including sales, retail, property, social care and health & fitness. As well as an in depth knowledge of finance, Chris has experience as a Company Secretary and as a Trustee. Chris is a member of the Governance, Audit, Nominations and Remuneration committees. Independent Director Marianne Waite Marianne has over 15 years’ experience in the world of design and a life-time of experience in disability. Marianne has spent her career working to harness and empower the world’s best branding minds to shift attitudes towards those considered ‘different’. Marianne has shared her work on platforms across the world, including The World Economic Forum and The United Nations. She is also the UK Government’s Disability and Access Ambassador for Design and is a Trustee of The Disabilities Trust. Independent Director Naeman Symonds-Baig Naeman is the Partnership Engagement Manager at London & Partners, having over 9 years’ experience of winning corporate partnerships and managing strategic accounts at national and international charities. As well as being part of the full board, Naeman will attend the Governance Committee meetings and support the fundraising strategy. Player Advocate Dan Bentley Dan Bentley is the Players' Advocate for Boccia England and he sits on the Board to ensure that the individual and collective views of players are represented. Manage Cookie Preferences