Meet the Board

An enthusiastic, resilient and experienced public sector leader, board chair and trustee, who has operated at a strategic level for large multi disciplined organisations with profit and loss accountability and financial acumen. Visible empowering leadership style, experienced at leading change within a wide range of complex service areas and specialisms. Navigates successfully public and private sector partnerships to lever social and economic benefits.

Passionate advocate of the benefit sport and physical activity brings to the quality of life of communications across Leicestershire and Rutland and of the importance of 'designing in' opportunities to move more by ensuring the planning system considers activity when designing the built environment.

Mike is the Director of Public Health for Leicestershire County Council and Rutland County Council, having been in post since February 2014.

Mike has worked in Public Health since the early 90's in a number of Public Health Intelligence, R&D development, manager and consultant roles for both the NHS and academia.

Mike is Vice Chair of Active Together and a member of the national Active Partnerships Board. Mike has led the Leicestershire and Rutland Public Health response to the pandemic throughout the last two years, becoming a familiar figure on local media.

"Physical Activity is one of the 'best buys' organisations can make in helping improve the health of the population. As a Board member, I'm proud of the energy and organisation Active Together bring to their work in helping people be more active."

Andrew joined Leicester City Council in November 2015. Previously he has held senior positions leading services such as leisure facilities, parks and open spaces, sport development and physical activity and lifestyle services.Andrew has lead and delivered various large capital leisure developments across parks and open spaces and sport and leisure. His most recent development was the award winning £30 million Derby Sports Arena as Head of Leisure Facilities and Parks at Derby.Andrew has been inspired by working with some fantastic people over his career and is delighted to be part of the Active Together Partnership to help support the Board, staff and partners in extending the reach and impact of our programmes and plans.Originally from Teesside and when not supporting Middlesbrough FC he enjoys playing golf and after 10 years coaching both girls and boys has recently returned to playing competitive cricket again for his local club.

I love sport whether competing myself or watching others. I have always been involved in sport from a young age always wanting to make the school and, later on, college and university teams in whatever sport I was into at the time - hockey, swimming, rowing, skiing, athletics. Throughout my career I have seen first-hand the power that participating in sport can bring to tackle diversity, improve mental wellbeing, put lives back on track and not only bond people and communities together but transform lives at any age from any background. I have decades of experience successfully delivering projects and programmes, implementing transformational change and improving performance in public services and am currently CEO of a national social enterprise. I intend to use all of this and my board member experience to help ensure that everyone across Leicestershire and Rutland gets the opportunity to be involved in physical activity and sport.

I retired from work in education in 2014. Throughout my career I was extremely involved in all aspects of Physical Education (secondary, primary, FE, early years, additional needs, competition, outdoor education to name but some) and was passionate that any project or programme I was trying to develop would, if at all possible, be available to ALL young people. I was privileged to lead one of the first School Sport Partnerships in the country, this was located in Leicester City and was established in 2001. Managing the Partnership and being based in a city threw up many challenges but made me aware of the importance of active healthy lifestyles in every community. This knowledge has given me strong foundations on which to develop meaningful relationships with local and regional partners and enabled me to work effectively with the Active Harborough LSA and as a member of the Active Together Board. My leisure time is spent being active and you will find me on the golf course, walking in the wilds of South Leicestershire or in the swimming pool at the local leisure centre. I also spend many hours volunteering at school sports events and those organised in my local community.

Ben Solly is Principal of Uppingham Community College, an 11-16 secondary school for 900 students in Rutland. Before this Ben was Headteacher of Lutterworth College, an 11-18 for 1500 students in Leicestershire. Ben started his career as a PE teacher in the Black Country where he worked as an Advanced Skills Teacher before moving into senior leadership roles in the East Midlands. Ben is part of the editorial board for the weekly educational publication Sec Ed.

I am married with two grown up children. All our family are sporty, from distance running, horse riding to Elite Squash. My career has taken many turns. I started out in the polymer industry and finally staled in the sport industry when after having my daughter, starting as a fitness instructor at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, then working for Tumble Tots and finally entered the world of squash, where I encountered and worked with Active Together many times.
I now work as Head of Strategic Partnerships for England Squash, which entails building and maintaining relationships with our partners in the counties and beyond. This is a challenging and rewarding role, which has enabled me to bring my varied skills to the fore.
I now hope to bring some of that insight to the role at Active Together and am looking forward immensely to becoming part of the team.
Out side of working life I enjoy running, horse riding and baking. I am also looking forward to new adventures when we take delivery of a camper van.

The link between sporting opportunities and the wider well-being agenda is crucial for our communities. Active Together is in absolutely the right place to bring this about.

Andy seeks positive impact through social transformation projects using, sport, faith, co-operatives, social enterprises & Foundations. He has a sound grounding in government relations and Sports Policy through his 13 years as the MP for Loughborough and now serves voluntarily on various sport, faith and voluntary organisation boards as well as being a social entrepreneur.

I have a genuine passion for sport at every level and believe that I have the links and contacts to use this passion to increase the profile and development of sport in the County.

Bill's day job is Chief Executive at Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council [rated Excellent in a CPA judgement]. Bill is currently responsible for Development Services, Strategic Partnerships, Culture/Regeneration, Sport, Housing and Community Safety. Bill is also an advisor to the Board of Active Together – the Active Partnership. Bill also works as a volunteer Chair of East Midland Crimestoppers and a member of the charity's National Advisory Board.

Bill is a Chartered Town Planner and he has spent much of his career leading major regeneration schemes, having worked in the North East, Hertfordshire, York City and Bedfordshire (where he led on major new settlement proposals). He also chairs Hinckley & Bosworth Health & Wellbeing Partnership and the Regional Growth Fund Partnership for MIRA Enterprise Zone. When he's not playing taxi driver to his three girls, he enjoys surfing, football and tennis.

I am deeply committed to the value of PE and School/Community sport and what it can bring to the lives of young people as well as its contribution to neighbourhood renewal. I believe that the strategic approach Active Partnerships bring to sports development will enable real progression for children, young people and adults.

As a Director of a company which has sponsored Leicestershire sports events, I have been convinced this is a great way for businesses to support communities ... and that the diverse range of skills, connections and experience within Active Together will ensure very effective results.

I am working flexibly in the office or at home, therefore please contact me via email or phone number provided.

My areas of responsibility are:

• Strategic Management & Business Planning
• Key Stakeholder Liaison
• Financial Management & Compliance
• Leicester City Link Officer