British Swimming are delighted to confirm Karen Webb Moss as our new Chair.
Karen takes over from Interim Chair Adele Stach-Kevitz, who has been in post since the sad passing of previous Chair Maurice Watkins and who will now take up the post of Senior Non-Executive Director on the Board.
Less than two years out from the Olympic and Paralympic Games of Paris 2024, Webb Moss – the first woman to be permanent Chair of British Swimming – will be responsible for leading the British Swimming Board and its focus on organisational strategy and development, as well as ensuring the best high-performance environment and resources are available to athletes, coaches and staff across the aquatic disciplines for optimum performance and culture.
A respected senior sport executive and board-level leader, Webb Moss has amassed a wide range of expertise across a number of diverse and high-profile fields, primarily in sport and major events, having advised international governments, host cities, the Olympic and Paralympic movement, organising committees, national governing bodies, broadcasters and sponsors during her career.
Karen was the Executive Director for Marketing and Communications for the Olympic Park Legacy Company in the lead-up to London 2012. During this time, she was also a member of the UK Sport Major Events panel, leading on from her time as Head of Media and Marketing Communications for the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee. Following Sydney 2000, she worked with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for more than eight years as Vice President Image & Marketing Communications.
Over the past few years, Karen has been based overseas working with the leadership of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and prior to this was COO of the International Centre of Sport Security, where she remains a Board Director. She returned to the UK at the beginning of this year to establish her own sports business, working most recently with Birmingham’s 2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee.
Acknowledging her appointment, Karen said: “This is an absolute honour and I am excited to take up the role of Chair of British Swimming. Despite what has been a difficult period for the Board and the entire team, their commitment and caring focus on excellence has resulted in proven and continued success in the water and on the podium, and that has to be loudly applauded.
“Having worked across most aspects of sport, from event bids and international sport governing bodies to organising committees and sponsors, the drive, passion and reward throughout is the athlete and enabling them to achieve their goals, inspire us all and make nations proud.
“I am humbled by the already-warm welcome and impressed with the calibre of the Board and team. I am keen to get going – to listen and learn, to work with UK Sport, our Home Nations and the British Swimming team across our aquatic disciplines to contribute to and support the mission of ‘one team winning well in water’.”
Speaking on the appointment, outgoing Interim Chair Stach-Kevitz said: “Karen brings a depth of expertise and sport industry knowledge that impressed the Board. Moreover, her strong fit with our values and athlete-centred approach to business was a key factor in her appointment.
“We are delighted to confirm Karen as our new Chair, and her professional, inclusive leadership style and ambition for the role to lead British Swimming’s vision going forward made her the ideal Chair to spearhead the business. It has been an honour to care-take as Interim Chair and I am excited to support Karen and the Board as we continue our plans to Paris 2024 and making the nation proud through our performances in the pool.”
Commenting on the appointment, Katherine Grainger, Chair of UK Sport said: “It was a pleasure to support British Swimming’s recruitment campaign for a new Chair. It has been a very difficult time for the organisation following the sad loss of Maurice Watkins, their late Chair, who had contributed enormously to the sport. I am pleased that British Swimming have appointed Karen Webb Moss and very much look forward to working with her.”
The process to recruit British Swimming’s permanent Chief Executive is ongoing and the new Chair – working in partnership with the British Swimming Board - will be closely involved throughout the appointment process.
Three-time Olympian Aimee Willmott (now Aimee Booker) was elected as the new Athlete Representative to the British Swimming Board earlier this month. Click HERE to read more on that announcement.