New President and Chairman for England Golf

John Williams has taken office as the 2017 President of England Golf, while Nic Coward has become the organisation’s first independent Chairman. They both took up their new roles at today’s annual meeting of England Golf, held at its Woodhall Spa headquarters.

John Williams  succeeds Yorkshire’s Marian Rae. He is a member of The Gog Magog Golf Club and an active member of the Cambridgeshire Area Golf Union. John was part of the steering group which guided the merger of the English Golf Union (EGU) and the English Women’s Golf Association to create England Golf.

John spent his business life as an industrial relations and management specialist, after studying at Cambridge University and being called to the Bar. He joined the conciliation service, ACAS, soon after its launch in the mid-1970s, when the country faced many industrial relations issues. After 11 years he formed his own consultancy and training business, from which he retired five years ago.

Nic Coward is the first independent chairman of England Golf and takes over from Graham Yates of Somerset. He brings to the role the wide experience gained in a 20-year career at the top levels of British sport.

For the past year he has been the independent chairman of the England Golf Partnership, whose key roles are being taken on by England Golf. Nic has been the general secretary of the Premier League, the chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, joint chief executive of the Football Association and a director of Wembley Stadium.

Alistair Booth and Doug Poole were elected as new England Golf Board members, while Ian Watkins of Gloucestershire and Les Wilson of Lancashire were re-elected.

Booth is the executive chairman of Frilford Heath Golf Club, the president of the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire (BB&O) Golf Union and the independent chairman of the Greenkeepers Training Committee. Poole has extensive interests within the golf industry which have included chairing the British Golf Industry Association and taking on the current role of project director for National Golf Month. He is president of the Cambridgeshire Area Golf Union.

Picture of England Golf President John Williams used courtesy of Leaderboard Photography.