Operational Team

Chief Executive Officer

Ian Wilson

BASES
Fairfax Hall
Leeds Beckett University
Email: iwilson@bases.org.uk
Mon - Fri (9am - 5pm)

Ian Wilson joined BASES on 16 October 2016 with extensive involvement and experience in sport, as an elite athlete, national Team Manager, and various management roles within the UK Sports Institute, the English Institute of Sport; Sports Coach UK, British Swimming and UK Coaching.

Ian's recent role was Head of Operations at UK Coaching, a sport and physical activity charity, where he ran the Operations Department to develop, lead and manage the Group’s ongoing operations and procedures. He was responsible for the efficient operation of the business and worked closely with senior colleagues to develop, deliver and monitor a wide range of operational and strategic programmes, projects and initiatives.

As an elite athlete, Ian was on the National Swimming Team between 1985 and 1999, competing at World Championships, Olympic Games, European Championships, Commonwealth Games and World Student Games. Ian finished 5 ^th at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games and won World and European medals over 1500m Freestyle.

Senior Administration Officer

Jane Bairstow

BASES
Fairfax Hall
Leeds Beckett University
Email: jbairstow@bases.org.uk
Tues/Wed/Fri (9am-5pm)

Jane joined BASES in December 1999. She previously worked at Sports Coach UK (formerly the National Coaching Foundation) as the Senior Administrator for the Education and Training Division and provided administrative support for the former Sport Science Education Programme. She previously worked as a PA at Leeds College of Building for the Deputy Principal gaining extensive IT knowledge and organisational/secretarial skills and as a Sales Admin Assistant for the No.1 market leading outdoor advertising company More O'Ferrall Adshel.

Marketing and Communications Manager

Lucy Davies 

BASES
Fairfax Hall
Leeds Beckett University
Email: ldavies@bases.org.uk
Mon-Tues-Thur-Fri (9 am – 5 pm)

Lucy will join BASES on 6 January 2025. Lucy is a marketing and communications professional with over 20 years’ experience working across a variety of sectors including health, emergency services and education. Lucy was previously MarComms Manager at West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges where she was responsible for developing the reputation and brand of the consortium. Lucy’s former role included supporting partner colleges, providers and employers with their marketing and communications to deliver, successful programmes within funded projects. Lucy is also a Level 2 netball coach, player, club manager and volunteer with the regional netball association and has a keen interest in exercise and rehabilitation.

SEPAR Officer

Jane Gillott

BASES
Fairfax Hall
Leeds Beckett University
Email: jgillott@bases.org.uk 
Mon - Fri (9am - 5pm)

Jane took up post as a part-time Administrative Assistant in August 2006 after relocating from Wiltshire to Leeds. She has previously worked as a Travel Consultant and as PA to the General Manager for Medicine in the NHS so comes to us with extensive administrative skills. In September 2019, Jane took on the newly developed full-time role of Professional Standards Administrator, which includes overseeing the applications and processes for the majority of the BASES Professional Development programmes, as well as continued administrative duties within the association. In March 2024, Jane was appointed full-time SEPAR Officer to oversee the Sport and Exercise Psychology Accreditation Route.

Partnerships Manager 

Sue Watson 

BASES
Fairfax Hall
Leeds Beckett University
Email: swatson@bases.org.uk
Mon-Thur (9am - 5pm)

Sue joined BASES on the 20 January 2020. Sue joins us with over 16 years’ experience within the sports sector; after graduating from Loughborough University with a First Class BSc in Sport and Exercise Science in 2003, Sue went on to become a qualified FE lecturer before diversifying into sports development and management, the fitness industry and high performance sport. Through roles in coaching and workforce management, Sue has vast experience in developing and managing professional development programmes and initiatives and in designing and delivering strategic plans. She also has experience in managing high performance programmes through her previous role as Performance Manager for the Derbyshire Institute of sport.

Sue’s most recent role was Workforce and Place Lead at Active Partners Trust (one of 43 active partnerships in England, with a focus on increasing physical activity levels) where she was responsible for partnership and workforce development across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

As an elite athlete, Sue achieved 17 international caps for England and Great Britain for Basketball; she was the Captain of the English Universities basketball team; and she won two National titles at amateur boxing before going on to compete professionally. She currently competes regularly at Netball and also delivers fitness and boxing classes for the local community.

Administrative Officer and MarComms Assistant

Angus Boyle

BASES
Fairfax Hall
Leeds Beckett University
Email: aboyle@bases.org.uk
Mon-Fri (9am - 5pm)

Angus joined BASES in March 2020 as a Marketing and Communications Assistant (Intern) after finishing as Digital Content Intern at AFL Europe. In November 2020, Angus was then appointed as part-time Administrative Officer. Having grown up in Australia, Angus has been involved with sports such as Australian Football, cricket and football for most of his life. Angus completed a Bachelor of Media & Communications (Sports Journalism) at La Trobe University in Australia and joins the BASES team with experience in both communications and marketing work. Angus has been in England since 2018 after deciding to learn more about the country he was born in, and experience travelling around Europe.

Joanna Rycroft

Clinical Exercise Physiologist

BASES
Fairfax Hall
Leeds Beckett University
Email: J.C.Rycroft@ljmu.ac.uk
Wed & Thurs (9am - 5pm)

Jo joined BASES in July 2023. She is a Clinical Exercise Physiologist and has been working as a CEP for the past 7 years, starting her career in London and now working and living in the Lake District. Jo has previously worked a Lecturer at UCLan and is now working with BASES and CEP-UK at Liverpool John Moores University to organise and coordinate new opportunities for ESCPs and BASES members, including CPD and events.

Professional Standards Officer

Alex Windwood

BASES
Fairfax Hall
Leeds Beckett University
Email: awindwood@bases.org.uk
Mon - Fri (9am - 5pm)

Alex joined BASES in March 2024. Although a musician by trade within the Royal Marines, and now the British Army, as well as qualification (BMus from the University of Huddersfield), Alex has worked within the fitness coaching industry for around eight years. Alongside several customer service, charity, and corporate administration roles, he has also been a fitness instructor for ‘Be Military Fit’ and currently the Physical Training Instructor for the Band of the Royal Yorkshire Regiment, alongside his own personal training business. Alex is always keen to develop his own professional skills and knowledge base, and as a CIMSPA and UK Coaching member, Alex understands the importance that accreditation and recognition has on the careers of individuals and organisations alike. Alex is excited to be involved in the process of providing these opportunities, working with colleagues at BASES.

BASES Operations Team at the 2023 BASES Conference at the Coventry Building Society Arena