England Golf appoint independent directors

The Board of England Golf has appointed its first independent directors. Martha Brass and Michael Pask will join Nic Coward, who was appointed as first independent chairman earlier this year, and representatives from the men’s and women’s amateur game.

Nic Coward commented: “We are absolutely delighted to be joined by directors of the calibre of Martha and Michael. They are both leaders in their fields. Their knowledge and insight will be a huge asset as we implement our strategic plan, Growing the Game of Golf in England, to get more people playing more golf.

“The game is in good health in many ways, but we know we are in an ever more crowded leisure sector, and their expertise will be invaluable as we look to get even more people into the game, across the whole country, and to build on the game’s significant contribution to society, to public health, the environment and tourism.”

Martha Brass has held many top-level roles in media businesses, most recently as Chief Executive Officer, International Operations, of the Endemol Shine Group, working with hit programmes such as Big Brother, Broadchurch, Deal or No Deal, MasterChef, and Mr. Bean. In addition to her executive career, she has held a number of non-executive roles including with the British Olympic Commercial Counsel and the English Golf Partnership. Martha has stepped down from her role at Endemol Shine and is developing a portfolio of non-executive roles.

Martha said: “I am delighted to be able to bring my business experience in the media and entertainment world to the England Golf Board. I know from personal experience how much fun this game is for people of all ages, and I also am well aware of its positive impact on physical and mental fitness and its ability to build a sense of community.  My time on the England Golf Partnership Board has also shown me that there is so much more potential and that is incredibly exciting.”

Michael Pask has 25 years’ experience working for WME IMG, the world’s largest sports, entertainment and media business, latterly as a Senior Vice President. His roles have covered event planning and management, brand development, sales, business development and relationship building.

During his time at WME IMG, Michael created the Golf Advisory Business with global clients including HSBC and the successful French and Italian Ryder Cup bids. He also led the Olympic Management Group, guiding the careers of athletes including Sir Steve Redgrave, Michael Johnson, Ian Thorpe and Katherine Grainger.  Michael now has a number of senior advisory roles in sport and leisure including with the Golf Environment Organisation, Urban Adventure and SMG Insight.

Michael said: “I am really honoured to be joining the England Golf board. I love the game, as a player, and having been lucky to have worked at the highest levels of the professional game and I am excited to support its growth in my home country. There are a number of opportunities, and challenges that face golf at the moment, not just in England. This is therefore a great time to be joining an increasingly dynamic governing body, to help build on the positive work I have seen going on around the country.”