GB Badminton board
GB Badminton’s purpose is to lead the growth and success of high performance badminton in Great Britain.
It is responsible for the World Class Performance Programme (WCPP) in Paralympic and Olympic Badminton, where players from Badminton England, Badminton Scotland, Badminton Wales and Ulster Badminton come together to compete as Team GB. The WCPP funds the training and international competition programmes of the British players considered to have the potential to deliver success at the highest level of the sport. GB Badminton is also responsible for Team GB Badminton at the European Games and Youth Olympic Games. The vision of GB Badminton is to win medals consistently at Olympic and Paralympic level.
Great Britain board members
Should you have any questions relating to Badminton England’s governance please contact the Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive in the first instance via ea@badmintonengland.co.uk.
Stephen Baddeley (Chair and Non-Executive Director)
Stephen was one of England’s most successful men’s singles players, winning European and Commonwealth titles while gaining 143 caps for his country.
His first ‘proper’ job was as Director of Coaching and Development for Badminton Scotland before joining Badminton England in 1996, initially as its Performance Director, followed by 7 years as its CEO. In 2004, he moved to Sport England as its Director of Sport which included a 14-month term as its interim Chief Executive.
He is currently Director of Sport at the University of Bath. Stephen has been Chair of the GB Board since November 2016.
Sue Storey (Accountable Officer)
Sue is the Chief Executive of Badminton England. Her role is to lead the organisation, work with the board, the team and key volunteers to deliver the strategy, to develop and grow the sport, deliver major events for badminton (including Yonex All England Championships), developing the top performance athletes to compete in Olympic/Paralympic Games and other international competition and promote the fantastic, exciting sport of Badminton.
Previously, Sue was the Chief Executive at Volleyball England, where she oversaw the three disciplines of Volleyball, Sitting Volleyball and Beach Volleyball, working collaboratively to deliver huge improvements across the sport.
Prior to that, Sue was an Inspector for the Sport Grounds Safety Authority, who, as authors of the ‘Green Guide’, are unique as the world’s only government funded body set up specifically to develop safety at sports grounds. She has also had a key role in developing stakeholder relationships and working collaboratively with national and international sporting bodies, federations and organising committees.
She is a cyclist, road and velodrome, she previously played hockey at Midlands League level and was a past Taekwondo GB Veterans Champion.
Sue also holds two NED positions; Trent Bridge Cricket Ground and Active Partnerships National Team.
The final interesting fact about Sue is she has two sets of twins!
Priya Guha (Senior Independent Director)
Priya is a Venture Partner at Merian Ventures, investing in women-led innovation, a Member of the Innovate UK Council, NED at the Digital Catapult and Adjunct Faculty at the Ashridge Hult Business School. She was previously GM for RocketSpace, launching their UK operations.
Priya used to be a career diplomat, most recently as British Consul General to San Francisco and previously in India and Spain. She is on the Althea Foundation Board, Tech London Advocates Advisory Board and Royal
Academy of Engineering International Committee. She also Chairs the Board of Trustees of Modern Muse and is an Advisor to The Youth Group. Priya was recently named in the 2020 Top 50 Most Influential Women in Technology for the 3rd year running.
Andrew Stewart (Executive Manager – Ulster Badminton)
Andrew is the Executive Manager of Ulster Badminton, leading the organisation & delivering the Ulster Badminton Strategy, with the aim of growing the Sport in Northern Ireland & Ulster. Previously to this role he was the Business Manager of Ulster Badminton, driving & diversifying Income for the Organisation.
A former International player, based in Sweden, Andrew moved into coaching, becoming Head Coach of his Club, BMK Wätterstad & the Swedish U19 Assistant National Coach. Upon returning home to Northern Ireland in 2010, he took up the Role of Talent ID Officer for Ulster Badminton, coaching within & developing the Talent System in Ulster.
Andrew has a Masters in Sports Management , a Graduate of the Great Britain Elite Coach Programme & won the 2015 UK Coaching Talent Coach of the Year & 2015 Sport Northern Ireland Performance Coach of the Year. He is currently the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Coach, having attended the 2018 Gold Coast & 2022 Birmingham Games.
Andrew currently sits on the GB Badminton Technical Advisory Group & was also a Coach for Badminton England between 2017-2019 working within the Senior & Pathway Programmes. He continues to Consult within the BE Development Team on the Coaching & Pathway Development.
James Thomas
James joined the Badminton England board in July 2022 as the Performance Non-Executive Director.
He began his sporting career playing Rugby Union at Premiership Clubs in England and New Zealand. After injury brought about an early retirement in professional sport, James moved into working within the sport system.
James has held several senior positions within the UK Sport High Performance system over the last sixteen years and has worked with several sports including Athletics, Judo, Wheelchair Rugby and Boxing. He has spent the last five years as Performance Director at British Gymnastics and was the Team Leader at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Alongside his professional roles, he has also been a Non-Executive Director at GB Boxing, a member of the UK Performance Directors strategic group and the UK Sport People Development steering group.
James now works at Manchester City Football Club as the Director of Performance Services.
Alongside an undergraduate and post graduate background in Sport and Exercise Sciences, he is completing a Legal master’s in International Sport Law at Sheffield Hallam University, specialising in anti-doping and football law.
Outside of his professional career, James is an outdoor enthusiast, spending a lot of his free time mountain biking with his son and hiking in the Lake District. Committed to outdoor adventures, he is aiming to summit Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn in the near future.
Kelly Aston (Director – Badminton Wales)
Kelly is the most decorated Welsh Ladies Singles Players with a career high of World Number 5 gaining over 140 caps for her country, Commonwealth Games Gold, European Silver & Bronze, three time Olympian and received an MBE in 2002 for her services to sport.
Having retired from professional badminton in 2006, Kelly settled in Dubai and moved into teaching and then nursery development, successfully launching and building a British International Nursery Franchise business in the Middle East.
In October 2017, Kelly joined Badminton Wales, initially as Head of Operations, and is currently CEO of the National Governing Body looking forward to a future of Badminton in Wales.
Michael Davis
Michael is a qualified accountant and a member of the professional accountancy body CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants). He has over 20 years’ experience operating in a senior finance leadership role. He established his career in the private sector, working in a variety of IT related companies and in Transport and Logistics, before moving into the not-for-profit sector.
Michael is currently Head of Finance & Governance at England Athletics Limited, with responsibility for finance, HR, governance and commercial partnerships.
Michael is also a member of the finance committee for a large church-based charity.
Alan McMillan
Alan, a well-known figure in Scottish Badminton, has been passionately engaged in the sport for over four decades. As both a former senior and a current masters Internationalist, he continues to enjoy competitive badminton.
Embarking on a significant career in sport, Alan joined sportscotland, Scotland’s national sports agency, in 1991. He notably pioneered the agency’s involvement in shinty as its inaugural employee dedicated to this sport. His career path then led him to the role of Scottish Junior Golf Manager, where he played a pivotal role in initiatives leading up to the 2014 Ryder Cup. After an impactful 18-year tenure at sportscotland, Alan transitioned to the position of CEO at the Scottish Bowling Association. In this role, he orchestrated the merger of the women’s and men’s outdoor bowling associations, creating one of the largest sport’s governing bodies in Scotland with over 800 clubs and 50,000 playing members. Under his leadership, the association flourished, expanding from a modest team of two to a robust staff of over 17, encompassing areas such as governance, development, and high-performance departments.
Beyond his professional pursuits, Alan enjoys an active lifestyle. His passion for sport extends into his leisure time with a significant interest in cycling and golf, alongside his enduring love for badminton. This blend of professional accomplishments and personal interests underscores Alan’s deep-rooted commitment to the world of sport, both on and off the court.
Should you have any questions relating to Badminton England’s governance please contact the Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive in the first instance via ea@badmintonengland.co.uk.
