JudoScotland is pleased to announce the appointment of Lynne Glen and Sandy Hodge as Independent Directors to the JudoScotland Board.  Together they bring a wealth of experience from the Scottish sport environment, which will significantly benefit the direction of the organisation and Judo in Scotland.

Lynne Glen

Lynne brings her expertise in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, with experience as a volunteer and professional in sports development. Inspired to join the Board through working with JudoScotland in a professional capacity in her role as Pathways Manager at Scottish Disability Sport, Lynne saw first-hand the positive change Judo can produce.

Lynne commented, “Physical activity and sport should be available, welcoming and inclusive for everyone, regardless of their age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex (gender), sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity and marriage and civil partnership.

I feel very strongly about that, and this is what drives me in both my professional and volunteering roles.

I am delighted to be appointed to the role as independent director and very excited to be part of a great, forward-thinking organisation. I have witnessed first-hand the difference judo makes to peoples’ lives.

I look forward to working with the CEO, Board and Staff (organisation) to achieve more diverse representation within the sport of judo with the end result being more people from more backgrounds participating, coaching and officiating in judo.”

Sandy Hodge

With over 25 years of experience in the Scottish sports landscape, Sandy brings a wealth of understanding at all levels. Until recently Sandy worked as our Partnership Manager with sportscotland before moving on to his new role as CEO at the Scottish Football Partnership. His decision to join the Board after being involved with the sport over the past several years is a testament to the direction of Judo in Scotland.

Sandy Commented “There were three broad reasons why I applied for the role;

1.The project excites me, I am enthused by the progress that has been made at JudoScotland over the last 18 months and I buy into the direction of travel. I also believe there is lots of headroom for the organisation to grow and develop and that is something I want to be a part of.

2. I feel I can make a positive contribution and play a part in the development of the sport and the organisation over the next few years. I have significant experience working with many SGB Boards and I feel I can use that to positively impact on JudoScotland.

3. I align very much with the values of the sport and the organisation, whilst not being a judoka myself I admire the moral code and all it stands for.

The role is hugely important to me for many reasons. It’s a great honour to accept the role of Independent Director at an organisation like JudoScotland, to be trusted to contribute to and shape the future of the sport is a privilege I will not take lightly and I look forward to playing my part in the future success. I believe we can use the power of Judo to positively impact on people’s lives at all levels of the sport and that we as a Board have a very important role to empower the team to maximise that impact.

I am an ambitious person and I see no reason why JudoScotland should not strive to be the best SGB at all levels. From positively impacting communities to supporting elite athletes to achieve on the world stage, Judo and JudoScotland are well placed to achieve great success over the coming years. I also believe that we can be sector-leading regarding corporate excellence. I personally want to see the people, sport and organisation flourish and grow whilst playing my part in that journey. I am motivated by empowering and supporting others to achieve their potential and look forward to seeing the great people at JudoScotland grow and develop.”

JudoScotland Chair, Marc Preston added, “Sandy and Lynne are fantastic additions to the JudoScotland Board with their knowledge, experiences and fresh independent viewpoints. The calibre and volume of applications for the Independent Director Vacancies was outstanding, making it an exceptionally difficult task for the Nominations Committee to choose just two new directors and we are delighted that Sandy and Lynne have accepted our offers to join us over the next 4 years. It is an exciting time for JudoScotland and I am looking forward to seeing the positive difference this Board can make.”