About Us

The Board of Directors is Welsh Athletics’ key decision-making body. The Board provides leadership, takes account of the stakeholders’ interests, and is accountable both for its own decisions and the actions of Welsh Athletics as a whole.

Minutes of meetings of the Board and its sub-groups.

The Board of Directors

Steve Perks (Chair)

Nigel Walker

Nigel is a former atheltics and rugby international who competed and played in the 1980s and 1990s, competing in the 1984 Olympic Games and winning medals in the Eurpoean and World Indoor Championships in 1987. He retired from athletics in 1992 and went on to represent Wales in rugby union between 1992 and 1998.

Since retiring from rugby Nigel has held senior positions in BBC Wales, the English Institute of Sport (now the UK Sports Institute) and the Welsh Rugby Union.

He is an ambassador for City Hospice and Cancer Research Wales.

Chris Gough (Finance)

Chris Gough is Finance Director for Welsh Athletics. He is a qualified chartered accountant and senior finance director at HSBC. He has spent most of his career leading teams in financial services with a breadth of experience across strategic planning, cost management and change. Chris was recently certified through the University of Cambridge’s Sustainable Leadership programme and has held other board positions with Mind and R4WCF.  A social runner, Chris spends his Saturday mornings at a local parkrun and is currently working his way towards running the 6 major marathons.  

Dan Clements (Performance)

Tom Overton (Development and Participation)

Tom Overton (MBA) (CIPFA) is an experienced sport, physical activity and community development professional and has more than 25 years’ experience working in various roles in sport across the public sector, including the last 18 years in senior, strategic leadership roles – currently working part time at USW as a senior lecturer and course director for the MA Leadership in Sport. He was previously the Head of Community Sport and strategic lead for governance and leadership at Sport Wales. On leaving Sport Wales he set up Dysgu Ltd, a bespoke consultancy focusing on strategy, governance and leadership – working with sport and physical activity organisations across the UK. He is also the founder of an award-winning social enterprise based in Cardiff – The Bike Lock.

He brings considerable experience of the sport and physical activity landscape across the UK, expertise in governance & leadership - with a focus on ‘behavioural governance’ - and a detailed knowledge and understanding of the public-sector & political landscape in Wales; particularly the broader impact that sport has in tackling inequalities and wider social outcomes.

A dad, a volunteer coach, and a passionate Aston Villa supporter.

Jonathan Ford (Commercial)

Catherine Lewis (EDI)

Catherine brings a wealth of experience to the Board of Welsh Athletics, having previously held the role of Chair of Welsh Netball for the past 10 years. The Vice Principal of NPTC College Group, she is also a driving force across Wales in further education. Her experience of working within the sports sector in Wales will be of huge benefit as the organisation looks to roll out its updated strategic plan.

Laura Mason

The Associate Professor at Swansea University, Dr Mason has been leading the Universities Sports and Exercise Science department for several years. A passionate runner, Dr Mason has also held roles on the Board of England Athletics, as well as an external examiner at a number of Further and Higher Education institutions. Dr Mason will support the Development and Participation departments and will be key in supporting the organisation in embedding insight and learning across its programmes.

Philip Draper

Phil is currently the Senior Governance, Ethics and Compliance Manager & Legal Counsel at the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team. Prior to his current role, he worked at the Football Association of Wales, contributing significantly to governance, compliance, and regulatory initiatives within Wales, and brings over 6 years of experience within the sports sector.
A passionate advocate for sport, he has previously competed in two Europa League qualifying games while playing for Aberystwyth Town FC. His expertise in governance and compliance is complemented by a strong network across national and international sporting organisations.
Phil’s deep commitment to fostering transparency and fairness within the sports sector aligns with Welsh Athletics’ values, making him a valuable addition to the board.”

Our Board Sub-Groups

The Welsh Athletics governance structure delegates authority to a number of key subgroups of the Board. The sub-groups will support the delivery of key strategic objectives, as well as providing oversight in key areas such as Governance and Finance & Audit.