Rupinder Ashworth is an experienced leader in sport, business, and education, with a distinguished record of advancing good governance, inclusion, and high performance across the UK sporting landscape.
Appointed in 2025 as Independent Chair – and the organisation’s first-ever female Chair – Rupinder has served on the BWL Board since 2018, first as an Independent Director and later as Senior Independent Director from 2024. Her leadership combines strategic vision with a collaborative approach, ensuring BWL continues to strengthen its position as a forward-thinking, athlete-centred governing body.
Rupinder brings more than 20 years’ experience spanning sports governance, marketing, and business development, having worked across national governing bodies, higher education, and commercial sectors. She is widely respected for her integrity, strategic insight, and commitment to fostering inclusive and effective leadership cultures. Her work is underpinned by a passion for empowering people and organisations to achieve their potential — whether through education, participation, or performance excellence. To contact Ru directly email: rupinder.ashworth@bwl.sport

Matthew Curtain is an experienced sports leader and former elite weightlifter who has dedicated his career to advancing Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth sport. A former Australian National and Oceania Champion and record holder, Matthew represented his country internationally during the 1990’s before moving into leadership roles outside the competition platform.

Based in the UK since 2009, Matthew is the CEO of British Weightlifting, where he has led the organisation to new levels of success, including historic Olympic and Paralympic medals for Team GB and Paralympics GB at both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. He also serves on the Executive Board of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and as the Weightlifting Technical Delegate for the Paris 2024 and LA 2028 Olympic Games.

Previously, Matthew was CEO of the Australian Weightlifting Federation and the Director of Sport and IR Relations at the Commonwealth Games Federation, where he introduced athlete-centred and gender-equity reforms to the Games’ sports programme. He also served as Chair of the Netball World Cup 2023 Bid Evaluation Committee and Technical Delegate for Para Powerlifting at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Phil Edmondson is an accomplished legal professional and experienced sports governance leader with over 14 years’ expertise in commercial litigation, contracts and sports dispute resolution. He currently serves as a Partner at Ward Hadaway, where he specialises in advising and representing clients across the professional sports sector, including leagues, governing bodies, athletes, and managers – with a particular focus on football and regulatory matters.

Appointed to the BWL Board in 2020 as an Independent Director, Phil was named Senior Independent Director in 2025. In this role, he provides independent oversight, supports the Board Chair in upholding best practice in governance, and acts as a key liaison between the Board, members, and stakeholders.

Phil is recognised for his strategic insight, integrity, and pragmatic approach to leadership. His background in both law and sport enables him to bring a balanced perspective to decision-making, ensuring that BWL continues to operate with transparency, accountability, and a focus on long-term sustainability.

Passionate about good governance and athletes’ physical and mental welfare, Phil is committed to supporting the growth of weightlifting and para powerlifting across the UK, helping to strengthen the sport’s future at every level.

Nikki Absolom is an Independent Director and serves as Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, providing strategic oversight of the organisation’s financial management, governance, and risk assurance.

Nikki is a Chartered Accountant (FCA) and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), bringing over 20 years of experience in finance, audit, and strategic leadership across commercial and public sector organisations.

She is currently Head of Internal Controls at Pets at Home, where she leads initiatives in risk management, internal controls and continuous improvement and ensures robust governance across a complex, multi-site business. Prior to this, Nikki held senior finance roles in blu-chip and membership-based organisations, developing expertise in compliance, financial strategy, and operational transformation.

Nikki holds a degree in Agricultural Science and has completed additional executive training in governance and leadership. Her analytical and pragmatic approach ensures a clear focus on transparency, accountability, and long-term sustainability.

Passionate about sport and community engagement, Nikki is committed to strengthening British Weight Lifting’s financial foundations and supporting the organisation’s ambition to deliver a strong, inclusive, and future-focused sporting environment.

Sheona Southern is an Independent Director bringing extensive experience in strategic leadership, marketing, and destination management across sport, business, and the public sector.

Sheona has built a distinguished career in strategic communications, brand development, and stakeholder engagement, with over 25 years’ experience leading growth-focused organisations. She is best known for her role as Managing Director of Marketing Manchester, where she secured private and public funding and successfully led regional and international campaigns to strengthen Greater Manchester’s global reputation as a leading city for sport, innovation, and culture. This included working with UK Sport, Visit Britain and the private sector to attract major international sporting and cultural events.

Before joining Marketing Manchester, Sheona held senior leadership roles across sport and media including the BBC. As well as marketing, her expertise spans organisational strategy, partnership development, and brand positioning – skills that bring valuable perspective to the BWL Board.

Sheona holds an MBA and is passionate about promoting the power of sport to drive community engagement, wellbeing, and social impact.

Rebecca Wainwright is an Independent Director and Chair of the BWL Foundation, bringing extensive leadership experience and a strong commitment to equality, inclusion, and community engagement through sport.

A senior leader with substantial Executive Committee, Board, and Trustee experience, Rebecca has a distinguished career in the financial services sector, including senior roles within FTSE 100 organisations. She has served as Chief Operating Officer, where she developed deep expertise in strategic management, corporate governance, operational risk, partnership management, and board effectiveness. Her governance experience extends across both commercial and charitable sectors, where she has championed ethical leadership and organisational excellence.

Rebecca is widely recognised for her advocacy for women and diversity, promoting inclusive leadership and greater representation across all levels of business and sport.

Beyond her professional career, Rebecca is an active Masters weightlifting competitor and coach, bringing first-hand insight into the sport’s role in building confidence, resilience, and community.

Josh Payne is an Independent Director of British Weight Lifting and serves as the organisation’s Home Nations Lead, focusing on collaboration across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to strengthen relationships, drive participation, and support aligned development across the UK.

Josh currently holds a prominent role in Rugby Union: Consulting General Manager of the Celtic Challenge – a cross-border competition established under the Irish Rugby Football Union, Welsh Rugby Union, and Scottish Rugby, in partnership with World Rugby. This position reflects his strong leadership in strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and high-performance sport delivery. Josh is also an Executive Director of Regent HR, an outsourced HR provider in the West Midlands.

A graduate of the University of Exeter with a Master of Business Administration (MBA), Josh has nearly a decade of experience in high-performance sport, specialising in governance, strategy, and system development.

In his role with BWL, Josh is responsible for leading engagement with the Home Nations, Sport Development, and Stakeholder Relations, ensuring a coordinated and inclusive approach to the sport’s future. Josh is also the Commercial Lead, overseeing commercial and strategic partnership development.

David Leith is an Independent Director and serves as Chair of the Performance Committee, providing strategic oversight of the organisation’s high-performance and talent development programmes.

David brings a wealth of experience from a distinguished career across multiple high-performance sports, including skiing, tennis, triathlon, basketball, and curling, and is currently Performance Director for British Curling. His leadership roles have spanned performance management, athlete wellness, strength and conditioning, and strategic sport funding, giving him a deep understanding of what drives sustained success at the elite level.

In addition to his professional expertise, David also competed for Team Scotland in swimming at three Commonwealth Games and in weightlifting at national level, giving him first-hand insight into the athlete journey and the demands of high-performance environments.

Mark is currently our Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary. He has been involved with weightlifting since 2007. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant who initially worked in the commercial sector, offering financial support to small and medium-sized businesses, before making the move in 2006 to form his own consultancy business. These days Mark works exclusively in the not-for-profit sector, for which he retains a passion. His specialism is offering advice to Governing Bodies, at both national and international levels. Mark is closely involved in the financial stewardship of British Weight Lifting and provides support to the BWL Board, senior management, members and government stakeholders, in the form of regular reporting. As a committed sports fan, Mark is aware of the capability of sport to inspire, educate and unite people, from all sections of society.