Following a thorough recruitment process Scottish Hockey is delighted to announce it has appointed Barry Cawte as its new CEO.
Barry will start his new role in October, amid a new era for Scottish hockey, and joins Scottish Hockey from the Welsh Rugby Players Association (WRPA), which represents and supports professional rugby players in Wales.
At the WRPA Barry has transformed its influence and reputation across the Welsh rugby landscape. His work there has included negotiating long-term collective bargaining schemes; making the organisation more influential; building a better reputation; and establishing commercial deals for the organisation.
Barry is also chair of the Tennis Wales board and since 2018 he has led a rebuild of what was a very traditional sport; reconstructed the image of Tennis Wales; and re-established relationships with funders and partners.
Previously Barry worked for Greenwich Leisure Limited, which operates more than 350 public sport and leisure centres, including the London Aquatics Centre and Copper Box Arena opened for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
He also led a charitable social enterprise that saved Swansea Tennis Centre from permanent closure and instead transformed it into one of the best facilities of its kind in Wales. Cawte then worked as a consultant to the Tennis Foundation and Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to turn the fortunes of several other tennis facilities around across the UK.
Barry also held a range of other commercial roles over a 20-year career in sport and leisure, and brings considerable commercial expertise to Scottish Hockey.
Barry Cawte said, “I am delighted to be joining such an exciting organisation and I am looking forward to working with the board, staff and hockey community to build on the work that’s already been done within the sport.
“I’m excited by the foundations that are already in place at Scottish Hockey. I am passionate about the impact sport can have on communities and I’m extremely excited by the untapped potential for hockey in Scotland.
“Scottish Hockey’s growth potential across all areas really attracted me to the role and I look forward to bringing the organisation into a dynamic and innovative era.”
Chair of Scottish Hockey, Martin Shepherdson, congratulated Barry by saying, “I’m delighted to welcome Barry to Scottish Hockey and look forward to working with him on a restart for the sport. Our recruitment process was very thorough and Barry’s drive and ambition shone through from the start, and is backed up by his wide-ranging background in sport.
“I believe that he has all the attributes necessary to lead and work effectively with not just the staff and the board, but also the members, volunteers and other stakeholders who contribute to, and love, hockey.
“I very much look forward to Barry making a positive contribution to the sport and we work towards an exciting future for hockey in Scotland.”