SIG Talent Tracker: Woodward, Kelly, Corr

Former Manchester United CEO Ed Woodward has announced that he will be joining the Board of Trustees for Bloomsbury Football. 

The charity, founded in 2018, engages over 5,000 young people each week, and ‘uses power of football to give young Londoners the best chance of succeeding in life.’

In the new role, Woodward will ‘support the charity to achieve the goals set in their 2023 – 2028 Strategy which aims to engage 20,000 young people by 2028’, working alongside Charlie Hyman, Bloomsbury Football’s Founder & CEO, and Bloomsbury Football’s management team. 

Woodward, commented, “I am thrilled to be joining Bloomsbury Football Foundation as a Trustee. This is an exciting opportunity to join a charity that is already having a significant impact on the lives of young Londoners using the power of football.  

Since Bloomsbury Football was founded by its CEO Charlie Hyman in 2018, the rate of growth and scale of impact is impressive. Charlie is impact-led and ambitious, and he has built a team of passionate and driven individuals who believe in the power of sport and want to support young people. 

Visiting a Bloomsbury Football session recently reaffirmed my belief that football has the power to change lives. It is clear the support the charity is already receiving is making a real impact on the pitch. The session represented the diversity of London – the coaches were supportive, players were engaged, and they seemed to be enjoying every minute.”

Sports experience travel provider Sportsbreaks.com has announced the appointment of Mark Kelly as Managing Director.

Kelly will lead the strategic direction of Sportsbreaks.com following 15 years of digital and ecommerce experience, including three years at SportsDirect.com as the Head of Ecommerce, and nearly half of his career in two roles at National Express (Head of Digital and Digital Director).  

Kelly, commented, “I am excited to start as the new Managing Director of Sportsbreaks.com. It is a great time to be joining the business – the market is growing rapidly and Sportsbreaks.com is well positioned to continue to provide fans with world-class live sporting experiences around the globe.

Sport is an experience for all, and I believe that Sportsbreaks.com is the perfect bridge between action and experience for fans. I can’t wait to get stuck in and continue to develop the great service Sportsbreaks.com already provides to fans in the UK and internationally.”

BCW Sports, the specialist sports practice of communications agency BCW, has appointed Jamie Corr as its new Managing Director.

Corr replaces Lars Haue-Pedersen who prepares to step down after over 20 years of leading the Lausanne-based global sports unit. Haue-Pedersen will stay on as a key advisor to the business. Lars Haue-Pedersen, commented, “It has been an incredibly exciting journey, moving from a two-person startup to now, being part of one of the largest communications agencies in the world. With Jamie Corr’s arrival, I foresee numerous opportunities emerging for the sports practice, particularly in advising and supporting brands’ involvement in major events. I look forward to supporting Jamie and the team through the remainder of the year and then to spending more time with family and friends, while closely following Burson’s and our clients’ continued success.”