BDHQ Staff Update

It has been a busy spring at British Dressage’s headquarters and we’ve had a few staff changes that we’d like to update you on.

Our Senior Management team is now at full strength with the appointment of Di Harvey as Head of Sport Operations and Nicki Raybould in the position of Commercial Manager. A list 4 judge with a passion for dressage, Di has spent 21 years with Weatherbys in the Stud Book team and brings a great deal of experience in operational management, project delivery and strategic development, as well as a personal interest in all things equestrian. Nicki is a keen dressage competitor herself and comes from the retail world having spent 19 years with leading supermarket brand Asda working on their marketing strategy, income generation and brand partnerships. They both started just before the Winter Championships and have already hit the ground running, meeting many of our members, venues, officials, sponsors and partners in recent weeks.

At officer level, Jennifer Stringer joined the team in March as our new Youth Development Officer, a role created as part of the re-structure of our under 25 programme and a reinvigorated strategy under the BD Youth banner. In the Training and Education Department, Chloe French has been promoted to Training and Education Officer and will now be the lead point of contact for judges, while Natasha Pearce has also been promoted in a move from membership to Para and International Officer. Congratulations to them both.

We also have three new additions to the team to assist our ever-growing membership and sport operations, with Hollie Hookway (Membership Assistant), Katie Witts (Sports Operations Assistant) and Stephanie Verge (Grading Assistant) all starting at BD this month. A warm welcome to British Dressage to all three.

On a sadder note, Sue Harrison has decided to step down from her role as Head of Business Operations at the end of July. Sue has been with British Dressage for 12 years, firstly as RDO for Wales and then most recently as part of the management team as Regional and Volunteer Manager. We have just opened the recruitment process for a new Regional and Volunteer Manager, so if you’re passionate about people, are a strong leader and first rate communicator, this could be the role for you. For further details and how to apply, please click here.

Chief Executive Jason Brautigam commented; “As we head into our busy summer season, I’m delighted that we now have a near full complement of 40 staff at our HQ in Meriden and our eight regions. Our new additions bring with them a varied and diverse range of skills, knowledge and experience to further boost our team. As the sport of dressage continues to grow, both in terms of members and competition numbers, it is important that we have the resources in place to deliver an effective service, as well as move forward with a number of exciting initiatives that will benefit of all our stakeholders.”