LONDON IRISH FOUNDATION APPOINTS THREE NEW TRUSTEES

The London Irish Foundation, official charity of London Irish rugby football club, is pleased to announce the appointment of three new Trustees to its Board.

The three, Fran Boorman, Sonia White and Ray Brown (brief biographies below) bring valuable experience and expertise across a range of areas of direct relevance to the Foundation.

Announcing the appointments, Patrick Lennon, Chairman of the Foundation, said, “We are pleased to have three people of the calibre of Fran, Sonia and Ray join the existing Trustees.  All three bring individual experience and expertise that will complement and enhance the resources already available to our Chief Executive, Andy Keast and our staff.  We are very grateful to the three of them for committing to help develop the Foundation and the programmes it delivers that are making such a difference to the communities it serves.”

Biographies

Fran Boorman

Fran Boorman is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur voted Global Woman’s No.1 Business Influencer.  She best known for establishing Goal 17 Limited, a social impact sports company that has been featured in Forbes, on BBC News and in many national publications.

Goal 17 has developed ground breaking mentor training programmes that bring in new corporate sponsors to the trusts and foundations of Premier League Football Clubs and Premiership Rugby clubs. The focus is on bringing in sponsors who do more than just provide funds, they also mentor the charities’ beneficiaries. This has enabled Fran to get a deep understanding of the important work done by sports club charities and how to maximise funding streams into these organisations.
Fran is also a non-executive director holding Board roles with global companies including being trusted by investors from TV’s “Dragons Den” to help grow their own personal businesses.

As a teenager Fran competed as a semi-professional skier and also represented Richmond Rugby Club for several years as a blindside flanker in one of the early female youth squads.  Fran is really excited to join the London Irish Foundation team – as a relatively young organisation with big ambitions she hopes to bring experience and contacts to help support that growth.

Sonia White

Sonia is among the most experienced head teachers in Hampshire where she currently is Headteacher of Osborne School in Winchester. Prior to her working in education she spent 12 years in the military and fully understands the need for good team work and collaboration.

Osborne School is a maintained special school for pupils with special educational needs, aged 11-19. The school has 228 pupils and is a fully inclusive and dedicated establishment which takes the education of young people with special educational needs very seriously.  The school hosts the Foundation’s disability camps.

Sonia brings her extensive experience in education, working with children with disabilities, experience as a parent with a child with SEN and knowledge as a mental health champion to the Foundation.  She is also a London Irish supporter and a keen swimmer in her spare time.

Ray Brown

Based in Berkshire, Ray is both a seasoned Sales & Marketing Director and also an experienced sports administrator. Having held senior positions within large corporate organisations such as Babcock, Conduent and Capita, Ray is now part of the executive team at learning support services provider Knowledge Point, with global responsibility for strategy, growth, and clients.

Away from work Ray has a lifelong passion for sport; firstly as a player with Finchampstead CC and Redingensians RFC (now Rams) and more latterly as a coach and administrator with FCC and Bracknell RFC, where he held the position of Vice-Chairman until recently.

Ray is a huge advocate of the culture of learning and curiosity, as well as the ethos and values that rugby is built upon and the way in which these can be used as a positive influence for change.