London Youth Games seeks to appoint a new Chair to their Board with the help of recruitment agency BAME Recruitment.

The new Chair will amplify the role London Youth Games plays in London’s sporting landscape and encourage young people’s voices to be heard. The new Chair will be joining at an exciting time as we set out our vision to create the world’s largest and most inclusive city-based Games.

Since its launch, London Youth Games has been using the power of competitive sport to create life-changing opportunities for over 1.5 million young Londoners. These include record breakers, Olympic and Paralympic Gold Medalists and Premier League winners such as Dina Asher-Smith, Mo Farah, David Weir and Raheem Sterling, who all started their journeys at the London Youth Games.

The pandemic presented a challenge to the London Youth Games, but also provided a unique opportunity to innovate with our partners and stakeholders. In particular, the virtual delivery of London Youth Games successfully engaged 80,000 young Londoners, reaching many who may not otherwise have participated in our events.

Moving forward, London Youth Games is focused on a strategic shift to create a Games that is accessible to all and the Chair will be involved in overseeing these changes. The new Chair will also be responsible for taking our relationships with the 33 London boroughs and our corporate sponsors and partners including Nike to a new level.

Mickela Hall-Ramsay will be stepping down from the position of Chair but will remain a hugely valuable member of the London Youth Games Board. This is due to some changes in Mickela’s personal circumstances, which includes the exciting news that she is expecting a baby in 2022. We are grateful to Mickela for the commitment she has shown and look forward to continuing to work with her in her capacity as a Trustee.

Stuart Burnside, our longest serving independent trustee and Senior Independent Trustee since 2019, will be stepping into the role of Interim Chair.

He said: “I have been proud to serve on the board of London Youth Games for the past seven years. I’m passionate about using the power of sport to inspire London’s diverse communities and believe the Games can offer more than the opportunity to compete.  It can improve social cohesion, and it can deliver health outcomes.

The London Youth Games has a tremendous relevance to young Londoners, particularly as we head into a year that marks the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year, and the tenth anniversary of the London 2012 Olympics.”

Stuart works in a senior governance role for a FTSE 100 financial services company and has volunteered in senior sports leadership positions for many years. He led the negotiations for the ground share arrangement of one of the Olympic Park legacy venues on behalf of its community tenants. In his home Borough of Tower Hamlets, he’s had a track record of leading projects to make sport more inclusive.

London Youth Games has a vital role to play, helping London bounce back post pandemic, and helping young people achieve better health and life outcomes through lifelong participation in sport and physical activity.