Helen Phillips age 43 is a volunteer and at the helm of two of Wales’ most successful sporting organisations - Commonwealth Games Council for Wales (‘Team Wales’) and Welsh Gymnastics. Both are Non-Executive Chair positions in addition to her executive director role with one of UK’s most established security technology manufacturers.
I believe people choose to volunteer for a variety of reasons. For some people it offers the chance to give something back to the community, drive something forward that they are passionate about or step up when no-one else around is prepared to. These reasons all apply to me, particularly the later.
I didn’t envisage that by volunteering to assist with the modernisation of Welsh Gymnastics it would give me the opportunity to develop new skills and build on the experience and knowledge I was able to offer when I first started. I thought it would be one way! Since then, I’m not sure how I have done what I have, but I reflect very positively on many of the experiences being a volunteer in sport has given me.
I guess the days when you had to know the rules to lead the sport are long gone. When I took on the role of chair in gymnastics in 2001, there was little investment and one member of staff. I guess I was at a distinct advantage as at the age of 29 I was working in highly competitive corporate world, working with great people who I trusted and trusted me. So although I had little time, I had some skills and experience to apply to the sporting world. I knew some of the rules, but not all, but I was confident that I could make a difference.
The reason for the success in gymnastics is the people! The people who serve the sport, who eat, breathe and sleep the sport. Their knowledge and passion inspired me to set up and set free a strategy for gymnastics that has brought it to where it is today. My role was to bring these minds together, consider the views of all stakeholders and develop a collaborative vision that would encourage investment, stabilise the structure of the sport and ensure it was robust enough to grow but also be solid enough to be challenged. This is where I believe we are today. The investment enabled me to attract skilled board members who set the strategy and appoint great staff to lead the delivery of it.
In business we make decisions for growth on market trends and spending patterns to increase profit. In sport it’s not dissimilar and we review and enable opportunities from playground to podium to get more members and more medals. My role with Welsh Gymnastics also enabled me to play a significant part in the modernisation of British Gymnastics. From 2004 to 2012 I served as a Non-Executive Board member to make a transition from representative leadership to skilled leadership. The results speak for themselves within Wales and GB - more members and more medals! I surrounded myself with positive people who would share my desire, trust one another and respect the purpose of the organisation that we were there to serve. I have accessed free training, free mentoring and now have a network of critical friends I would call upon for my paid and unpaid work.
Commonwealth Games Council for Wales is another organisation I agreed to be involved with following a request in 2004 to assist with its development at board level. I was appointed as board member in 2005 with just 18 months to get a team to Melbourne 2006. Being a member of a small team we did it, and did it well. In 2009 I took on the role as Vice Chair and in 2013 Chair - ultimately responsible, with the support of the CEO, for putting in place the Team behind the Team and necessary infrastructure which resulted in Wales’ best ever Games in Glasgow 2014. Apart from the widely reported challenges we experienced ahead of and in Glasgow, on reflection I gained so many skills and characteristics I didn’t realised I needed, had or existed.
My ‘real job’ and business interests have benefited from my involvement with sport. The networks and ability to engage and build relations through the language of sport has always been an advantage, particularly for me in a male dominated industry.
My role has enabled me to meet many inspiring people in world of business, sport, monarchy and politics, including Barack Obama, Royal Family and particularly Anne Ellis OBE. I hope in many years to come, like Anne, I can encourage others to use their personal experiences and skills in sport, which Anne continues to inspire me to do.
Volunteering in 2001 was a lonely place, with not many staff, not a lot of cash and everyone too busy. As a volunteer you had to do it all! Now sport is a vibrant, successful and inspiring place to be. On a daily basis I learn off new people in a variety of organisations whether it be sport or public and private sector. I have certainly benefited professionally from my association with sport and have encouraged many volunteers to step into sport. I will, of course, continue to encourage them to take part.
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