Board

George Lucas — Chair Sport NI

George has served on boards for over 30 years. He held the roles of Managing Director of Corus Steel Ireland and Chair of Steel Company of Ireland during a long and successful career in the industry. Formerly Chair of the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI}, he is also a past Chair of the Ulster Branch of Tennis Ireland. George is also on the Board of UK Sport.

A strong believer in the lifelong benefits of participation in sport and physical recreation, keen sportsman George currently plays tennis for Ireland at Veterans level and has competed in 14 International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Team Championships, held in a range of countries.

Gavin Boyd — Vice Chair and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee of Sport NI.

A Chartered Accountant, Gavin has held numerous high level positions including CEO of the Northern Ireland Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) and CEO of the Southern and Belfast Education and Library Boards. He led the planning for and creation of the Education Authority (EA}, merging five major organisations and creating a regional authority with 43 000 staff and an annual budget of £2bn, retiring in 2019 after four years as first CEO of EA.

Gavin played Gaelic Football for club, school, and university, captained the school athletics squad, and played squash and rugby after leaving school. He has refereed Gaelic football at a senior level, including a number of County Finals. He has been a member of Balmoral Golf Club for over 40 years and is a season ticket holder at Ulster Rugby.

Richard Bullick

Richard brings a wealth of communication and journalism expertise to the Sport NI board. He has worked in public sector communications since 2004, most recently with the Education Authority. Prior to this he worked in tourism, marketing, management consultancy and community development. Richard has also been involved in sports journalism for almost three decades.

Richard has always been interested in sport and turned this interest into a career at the age of 18, in both broadcast and print media. He has a particular interest in championing equality and fairness in sport for women, including through roles in women’s gaelic games and netball.

Kyle Ferguson

Reader in Coach Education and Management and Director of the Centre for Sports Enterprise at Ulster University, Kyle brings a wealth of experience to Sport NI. He graduated from Ulster University with a degree in Sport and Exercise science before moving to America to coach football for two years. Kyle has worked in football development with the Irish FA and performance analysis in New Zealand before taking a research and consultancy post at Ulster University and later becoming a lecturer.

A keen footballer, Kyle has played in the Irish league and is UEFA A license coach working with the elite youth programmes and as a performance analyst with the women's and youth international teams. He has also competed in show jumping and tetrathlon.

Denise McElrea

Denise is Head of Governance & Human Resources at NILGOSC. She started her career as a Primary School teacher before taking a job in the Housing Executive and returning to university to complete an MSc in Management and Corporate Governance. Joining Age NI as Group Company Secretary shortly after their merger she helped to implement their shared governance model of working and as Corporate Assurance Manager at Helm Housing Association she oversaw the implementation of the DSD's recommendations in order for the Association to re-commence building homes. Denise was most recently Corporate Governance Manager at Mid and East Antrim Borough Council before joining NILGOSC.

Denise has been involved in grassroots football for over 12 years and regularly travels to matches in England and abroad.

Kieran Harding

Kieran has worked with Business in the Community (BITC) for 30 years, challenging and supporting businesses on their environmental and social responsibilities. He has been Managing Director for 12 years and for 3 years he also managed BITC operations in Scotland and Wales. Kieran leads a team of 40 employees in Northern Ireland and is a member of the executive team of BITC in the UK. Prior to BITC he managed a local enterprise agency supporting and promoting start-up businesses.

Kieran is a former Irish league footballer and more recently an Irish league football coach for over 25 years. He has coached at all levels of the game and is currently a coach educator at the Irish FA.

Wendy Elliott

Following on from a series of appointments as Branch Manager within the Nationwide Building society, Wendy played a key role in the formation of the South Tyrone Area Partnership. She performed the role of Strategic Partnership Manager to the Board. More recently she was regional Fundraising Manager at the National Trust, where she successfully secured £20m to facilitate the delivery of many transformation projects, including the restoration of Mount Stewart mansion house and the development of world class visitor facilities at the Giants Causeway, Northern Ireland's only world heritage site.

Wendy has always been interested in sport and is a firm believer in the power of sport for our health, wellbeing and self-esteem. Currently a member of Bangor Golf club, Wendy plays competitively for several teams and captains the Senior cup team. She also assists with junior golf coaching over the summer months and is an avid rugby fan and season ticket holder for Ulster rugby.

Alison Nicholl

Alison is Senior Technology Consultant at EY. Before taking up her current role, Alison was Head of Digital Transformation at Invest Northern Ireland, working in economic development. She worked closely with the Northern Ireland business base helping companies to grow their exports by utilising and exploiting technology.

A football fanatic, Alison is a pro-license coach in football and was first female in Northern Ireland to obtain the qualification. She coached NI u17 women's team for 13 years and is currently Player/Manager of Coleraine Women’s FC where she also helped setup the girls' junior academy. Alison also played hockey for Coleraine and enjoys cycling, running, and going to the gym when her football schedule permits.