The Edgbaston Foundation has appointed five new Board members following a competitive two-month recruitment process.
The new recruits expand the Edgbaston Foundation Board to 13 members and boast skills across a variety of sectors including: public services, leadership, technology, safeguarding and not-for profit organisational development. The new members include:
Mark Axcell
Mark has worked in the NHS throughout his career with the last seven years being at Board level. He is currently the Chief Executive of Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and has been involved as a trustee and a chair of trustees with local charities for 15 years.
Mark is passionate about the difference that sport, and in particular cricket, can make to mental and physical health. As a volunteer at Penkridge Cricket Club in South Staffordshire, he has seen first-hand the difference cricket can make to a community.
Marika Beckford
Marika is a technology leader whose experience of working with global brands for the West Midlands Digital Skills Partnership has contributed to successful digital upskilling and retraining initiatives across the region, working closely with Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Lloyds Bank.
Marika has a passion for developing the digital skills of others and champions using technology for civic and social good.
Marika also built the Digital Shapers blog site to share her love for digital skills and to offer FREE resources to support young people and creators.
Aaron Dunkley
Aaron has been supporting not-for-profit and sport-for-development organisations for more than five years, helping them to broaden and enhance their impact through fundraising, business planning and strategic problem-solving. He is committed to seeing communities benefit from effective socially minded activities
Having grown up in Birmingham, Aaron is also a huge cricket fan and a passionate Warwickshire supporter who is very excited by the work of the Edgbaston Foundation.
Lisa Reynolds
Lisa recently retired from a 32-year career as a police officer at West Midlands Police where she served the area surrounding Edgbaston and forged strong links with community groups for several years.
She is also a subject matter expert in child protection, safeguarding and vulnerability.
Also with West Midlands Police, Lisa worked with professional athletes and coaching staff by delivering training and policy guidance to Premier League football and Premiership rugby clubs.
Waheed Saleem
Waheed is a civic leader who has held high profile positions locally and nationally.
He is currently the West Midlands Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, a Non-Executive Director Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust, a Trustee of Midlands Air Ambulance and a member of the CVS Honours Committee.
With vast experience of working within the media, Waheed has appeared on regional, national and international television news channels, radio stations and regional and national newspapers and blogs.
Mark, Marika, Aaron, Lisa, and Waheed join the following current members of the Edgbaston Foundation Board:
- Rachael Wong, Chair
- Stuart Cain
- Craig Flindall
- Naz Khan
- Norman Gascoigne
- Mike Hammond
- Martin Straker-Welds
Ravi Masih, Head of Community Engagement at Warwickshire County Cricket Club and Lead of the Edgbaston Foundation, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to add such incredible talent and skills to what was already a very strong board.
“We have added experience in sectors that were vitally important to us and ensure the Edgbaston Foundation can grow and achieve its vision to be one of the leading cricket foundations in the country. I am very much looking forward to working with the new board members in achieving our strategic ambitions over the next few years”
Ravi Masih, Lead of the Edgbaston Foundation
Rachael Wong, Chair of the Edgbaston Foundation, said: “As Chair of the Edgbaston Foundation, it was important to me that we conducted a very open recruitment process for the best possible candidates to join the board. As a result of this process, I am incredibly pleased with the board appointments we have made.
“Our board is connected to and representative of the community in which we operate. We have taken a long-term view with these appointments to ensure a strong future for the Edgbaston Foundation.”
