Our Trustees
Drawn from the region and with expertise in a range of fields including sport, community, arts and culture, and business, our trustees are dedicated to maintaining the legacy of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Sir David Thompson QPM DL is the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, England's second largest and the United Kingdom's third-largest police force. Sir David is the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) Race Inclusion and Heritage Lead.
Alongside his role as Chief Constable, Sir David is also Chair of the Commonwealth Games 2022 Security Board and Chair of the British Police Symphony Orchestra.
Sir David received a knighthood in 2021 and the Queen’s Police Medal in 2014 for services to policing. He was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands in 2020 for his work in the community.
Alongside his role as Chief Constable, Sir David is also Chair of the Commonwealth Games 2022 Security Board and Chair of the British Police Symphony Orchestra.
Sir David received a knighthood in 2021 and the Queen’s Police Medal in 2014 for services to policing. He was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands in 2020 for his work in the community.
Amil Khan is the Director of Remembering Srebrenica, a national organisation part-funded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The charity promotes Srebrenica Memorial Day on 11th July and educates about the consequences of hatred and intolerance to help build more cohesive communities. He works with schools, local authorities, police forces, community centres and places of worship as well as commercial, public and third sector organisations.
Amil sits on the Warwickshire Cricket Board as a Non-Executive Director and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead.
Passionate about the Games, Amil is also a Commonwealth Collective Volunteer and member of the Birmingham City Council Stronger Communities Stakeholder Panel. He is also a Trustee of the University Hospitals Birmingham charity and has previously been a school Governor.
Amil sits on the Warwickshire Cricket Board as a Non-Executive Director and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead.
Passionate about the Games, Amil is also a Commonwealth Collective Volunteer and member of the Birmingham City Council Stronger Communities Stakeholder Panel. He is also a Trustee of the University Hospitals Birmingham charity and has previously been a school Governor.
Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Simmonds OBE is a five-time Paralympic Champion and shot to fame in 2008 when she won her first Paralympic medal at the age of 13 at the Beijing Paralympic Games. Later that year she became the youngest winner of the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year. She was awarded an MBE at the age of 14. Ellie has continued to dominate her sport, winning 14 World titles, ten European titles and broken numerous world records along the way. Since leaving full-time education, Ellie has worked with charities such as the Dwarf Sports Association, WaterAid, and I AM WATER.
Ellie is an independent member of the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee Board and is driven to inspire the next generation to love swimming, both as a competitive sport, but also as an essential life skill.
Ellie is an independent member of the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee Board and is driven to inspire the next generation to love swimming, both as a competitive sport, but also as an essential life skill.
Harj has wide experience and expertise in PR, governance, commercial, legal and finance matters, and is committed as a Trustee to deploying her skills, knowledge, networks and contacts to advance charitable aims and diverse community interests. Harj is Commercial Director and Co-Owner of Birmingham-based PR agency, Rewired PR which works with clients across the UK, including Cadbury World, Mondelez International and Birmingham Ormiston Academy.
Harj also serves as a Trustee of the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust Ltd, a charitable arts organisation which welcomes over 1 million visitors and participants each year through live performances, festivals, learning, participation, and community activities.
Harj started her career at international law firm Gowling WLG, where she worked as a commercial solicitor for over 10 years.
Alex Bishop is co-Head of Shoosmiths Birmingham office and national head of Dispute Resolution and Litigation. Shoosmiths is one of the largest law firms in the city. Alex was awarded the title ‘Inspiring Leader’ at the Birmingham Young Professional of the Year awards in 2019 and was named in The Lawyer’s ‘Hot 100’ lawyers of 2021.
Alex has held roles on the Boards of Birmingham Forward, Birmingham Professional DiverCity and on steering groups for Aston University, BSEEN (Birmingham Skills for Enterprise & Employability Network) and a number of charities including Marie Curie’s capital appeal resulting in a brand-new state of the art hospice for the West Midlands.
Alex chaired the Independent Advisory Panel for Colmore BID’s Future Business District study culminating in the launch of ‘The Space Between’ report in October 2021, she also helped co-ordinate the ‘Birmingham Business Pledge’ setting out the professional & financial services sector’s support for the city post-pandemic.
James Rigby is Chief Executive of the SCC, a £2.5bn technology services business and largest privately-owned company in the West Midlands. SCC has been headquartered in Birmingham since 1975, with offices throughout the UK and international businesses in France, Spain, Romania, and Vietnam.
Under James’ leadership, SCC has achieved consistent year-on-year growth, employed tens of thousands of people, supported regional economies, and led technology innovation in the UK and Europe.
James is also Co-Chief Executive of Rigby Group, the parent company of SCC, with interests in technology, airports, aviation, hotels, real estate, and financial services. He is also a Trustee of The Rigby Foundation, the group’s charitable trust.
James’ personal ethos, based on his own experience, is to grow skills within a business, ensuring family values remain at the heart of SCC. James advocates reinvestment in people and communities and takes a proactive leadership role in SCC’s charitable initiatives, with a strong focus on the development of skills and lifelong learning.
A fluent French speaker, James splits his time between SCC’s operations in France and the UK, where he lives in Warwickshire with his wife and three children.
Ian is Chair of Commonwealth Games England and is one of CGEs two appointees to the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee Board. He is also CGEs nominee on the Games Strategic Board, chaired by the Minister for Sport.
Ian played rugby locally for Moseley, also representing the Barbarians and touring New Zealand with England. Ian served nine years on the Board of the RFU, chaired the RFUs Professional Game Board and sat on the Board of ER 2015 Limited, the organising body for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, hosted in England. Ian has also been involved in cricket, serving 23 years as a committee member at Warwickshire CCC, including four years as Vice Chairman. He is now an Honorary Life Member.
Ian is Chairman of Mercia Asset Management plc and a non-executive director of Arena Events Group plc. He is also a non-executive director of the global waste management and waste services group, TRRG Holdings Limited, a Dutch/Spanish joint venture.
Nicola Ibbetson is the Chief Commercial Officer at Aston Villa Football Club. In this role she leads the club’s commercial operations and strategy including: ticketing, hospitality, merchandise and retail, sponsorship and marketing. She has held similar roles at both Manchester United and Chelsea.
Nicola is a Board member of the Football Association's Women's Super League and the Chair of the Women's Championship.
Nicola was also an independent member of the Birmingham 2022 Legacy and Benefits Committee whose collective objective was to create a legacy in the region that was inclusive, that reached a wide community base and that ensures a strong foundation for growth across the West Midlands.
Nicola is a Board member of the Football Association's Women's Super League and the Chair of the Women's Championship.
Nicola was also an independent member of the Birmingham 2022 Legacy and Benefits Committee whose collective objective was to create a legacy in the region that was inclusive, that reached a wide community base and that ensures a strong foundation for growth across the West Midlands.
Zephaniah is the Business Manager for the CEO of Microsoft UK. With over a decade in the Technology industry, he has a deep passion for inclusion and community and the role that technology and digital skills plays in democratising opportunity and transforming our communities, cities and country.
In his time at Microsoft, he has led the UK Data business, successfully leading the Marketing, Partnerships and Sales strategy. He also led the Commercial distribution business for Microsoft Surface Hardware devices. He is the Chair for the EMBRACE Employee Resource Group at Microsoft UK, focused on Ethnic Minority Diversity and Inclusion.
Zeph was born and raised in London and is an Aston University alumnus. He lives in Birmingham with his wife and two young children.
In his time at Microsoft, he has led the UK Data business, successfully leading the Marketing, Partnerships and Sales strategy. He also led the Commercial distribution business for Microsoft Surface Hardware devices. He is the Chair for the EMBRACE Employee Resource Group at Microsoft UK, focused on Ethnic Minority Diversity and Inclusion.
Zeph was born and raised in London and is an Aston University alumnus. He lives in Birmingham with his wife and two young children.
Access our free resources
We have a range of free publications to download about our programmes.