UK Anti-Doping prepares to meet ambitious objectives following government funding boost

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) has announced an organisational restructure as it delivers its new four-year Strategic Plan, with 17 new posts being created across several teams.

Following a Tailored Review, UKAD received a £6.1 million funding boost over two years from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in January, enabling the National Anti-Doping Organisation to announce bold plans across the organisation leading up to 2022, particularly in education, testing and intelligence.

Delivering the targets outlined in the Strategic Plan, launched in April, involves ensuring staffing levels are appropriate to meet new demands and that staff have the correct remit to deliver the organisation’s objectives.

Objectives include increasing UKAD’s publicly-funded testing programme by 50%, utilising the latest innovations in intelligence gathering and the development of an Assurance Framework to ensure that national governing bodies of sport are fulfilling their anti-doping obligations.

In response to the increase in publicly-funded testing, UKAD’s Testing team will grow in number, whilst a number of existing posts will be changed, offering current staff opportunities to develop wider skill sets.

UKAD Chief Executive, Nicole Sapstead, said: “Once we had received details of the additional DCMS funding and launched our new Strategic Plan, we felt it was of primary importance to review our staffing levels and job roles, to ensure work remits are aligned with our objectives.”

Emily Robinson’s role has changed from Director of Communications to Director of Strategy and Education, reflecting the fact UKAD has created a new International and Stakeholder Relations team, with a focus on reaching new audiences and using digital communications within education programmes.

Philip Bunt becomes Chief Operating Officer, a change from his previous role of Director of Business Services, to address the increased responsibilities arising from the Tailored Review.

UKAD’s Directors Team has also expanded to include a Director of Finance, Gareth Wellings, who has been promoted from Head of Finance.

Further changes to job roles are expected to be implemented over the coming months, while no mandatory redundancies will be made as a result of the restructure.