The Board
Trevor Pearce CBE QPM was appointed as Chair of UK Anti-Doping's Board in February 2017, having been a Board member since 2016. Prior to this, Trevor spent 40 years in law enforcement, retiring in 2015.
During his extensive career, Trevor was Director General of the National Crime Squad of England and Wales, and the UK’s Serious Organised Crime Agency; in both he led the UK’s operational response against serious organised crime nationally and internationally. Trevor is also a Commissioner of the GB Gambling Commission, and is Chairman of its National Lottery Committee.
Professor Nicola Phillips is an internationally registered Sports Physiotherapy specialist and a Professor at Cardiff University.
She has worked extensively with both the Welsh and British teams at Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games for over 25 years. She was chef de mission for Wales’ Commonwealth Games team for 2018 and President of the International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy from 2011-2017. Nicola also holds the position of Advisory Board Member of the Welsh Rugby Players Association (WRPA).
Nicola’s main areas of both clinical and academic work are in rehabilitation of high performance athletes. Her publications include logistical and ethical considerations for athlete support staff working at Major Games.
Dr Frances Akor is a Consultant Pharmacist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and a member of the General Pharmaceutical Council's Fitness to Practise Committee.
She was a member of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Pharmacy Clinical Services Group between 2009 and 2012. For the last 15 years, Frances has worked in academia, consultancy, the pharmaceutical industry and the NHS.
Suman Ziaullah is a senior financial services regulator and subject matter expert on the use of data analytics to identify and investigate misconduct. Suman has over 20 years’ experience working across public sector bodies, including in senior roles at the Financial Conduct Authority, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and HM Treasury.
He has led national data analytics capabilities that have helped defend the UK from major security threats, identified money laundering, fraud and market abuse, and played a critical role in protecting the London 2012 Olympic Games. Suman has a strong background in cyber security and data privacy and is a passionate champion of Diversity and Inclusion.
Mark Foster is the Director of Commercial and Marketing at England Netball. Mark was also the former Chief Commercial Officer at the Rugby Football League in the UK and has had a successful 15-year career within the elite sport sector, inclusive of a World Cup, Super League (Europe), International Cricket, Premiership Rugby Union and the English Premier League.
He has specialist skills in commercial partnerships, marketing, communications, broadcast and digital leadership and is experienced at relationship building, cultural & commercial transformation, critical-level negotiation and closing deals.
Mark previously developed and delivered commercial partnerships with brands including the BBC, Sky Sports, Emirates Airline, Land Rover, Ladbrokes and Betfred. He has also promoted and sold out some of the biggest UK sport venues, such as Wembley Stadium, Old Trafford, Millennium Stadium and the Olympic Stadium.
Dr Alison O’Riordan is a sports professional, educator, and researcher with over 30 years’ global experience in varying positions within the public and private sectors. She is a paralympic specialist with a PhD in biomechanics and brings with her seven years’ experience as a National Trainer for UKAD.
Alison is a director of her own company, AOR Sports Consultancy, and has worked successfully with several sporting organisations including the Australian Institute of Sport, Athletics Australia, England Athletics, British Athletics and Paralympics Ireland.
As a Master Athletics Coach, Alison has coached athletes onto six Paralympic Games for Australia, Great Britain and Ireland. As an educator and people developer, Alison has taught at all levels from primary to university, as well as athlete and coach development.
George Walker is a Chartered Accountant who has held a number of senior finance and IT leadership positions with international organisations, mainly focusing on IT-driven business change.
He was a Board member of Sport Scotland from April 2013 to April 2022, a period that included supporting the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the redevelopment of the Inverclyde National Centre into the first fully accessible residential sports centre in the UK.
George, who is also involved in sports charities, is currently Vice-Chair of Scottish Sports Futures and a Board Member of SportsAid Scotland.
Nicola Shannon KC is a barrister practicing from chambers in London, specialising in Criminal and Regulatory Law. She also has a part-time judicial role, sitting as a Recorder in Crown Courts across London and the South East. Her practice focusses on Serious and Complex Crime and Fraud, including Homicide, Organised Crime and Human Trafficking and Serious Sexual Offences. She advises on the conduct of investigations, frequently in contexts involving safeguarding issues. Her work includes expertise in the presentation of allegations made by vulnerable witnesses and those with mental disabilities or learning and communication difficulties and she has led teams pioneering creative solutions to meet the challenges presented.
She has a passion for Mentoring and is a champion of Wellbeing within the criminal justice system. She is a former Chair of the Bar Council ‘Wellbeing at the Bar’ Working Group and in 2022 she co-founded ‘Kindness at the Bar’, an initiative to research and promote kinder working cultures within the legal sector.
Ama Agbeze MBE holds 100 caps for her country, and received an MBE for services to netball in 2019. Appointed England Netball captain in 2016, Ama led the team to triumphs including Team England netball gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, victory at the 2016 European Netball Championship and success in the 2017 Fast5 Netball World Series. She was also part of the bronze medal winning team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Beyond her athletic achievements, Ama is a qualified lawyer, broadcaster, keynote speaker, non executive director, trustee, ambassador, and a specialist in diversity & inclusion. Her expertise spans cultural development, organisational change, leadership and mental health. Ama recently served as an independent Board Member of the Organising Committee for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.