Steve Nelson: Acting Chair
Steve is Chief Executive of the West of England Sport Trust, leading the development of this County Sports Partnership as one of the first to become an independent company and Charitable Trust in 2006. He has held a number of non-executive roles within the sport sector alongside his role as CEO.
His background includes:
- Professional Basketball player for 15 years, 18 England Caps, and Captain of GB Students
- Head of Development for England Basketball
- Creating the County Sports Partnership for Sussex
- He has also worked on a consultancy basis for UK Sport as part of the International Inspiration programme, working in India and Trinidad and Tobago.
Outside of work, he is a volunteer basketball coach at junior national league level, with his team crowned under 18 men’s national champions in 2011. He has developed and supported more than a dozen players that have gone on to represent England or GB, including his daughter Kyla and son Luke – both have captained their age group national teams and have earned scholarships to division 1 colleges in the USA. Luke is now playing professionally in the top league in Spain.
David Graveney, OBE: Interim Deputy Chair
David has deep family connections to Gloucestershire CCC, his father Ken Graveney and uncle Tom Graveney both enjoyed prolific playing careers with the club.
David represented Gloucestershire himself as a player from 1972 to 1990, playing a total of 697 matches. He also captained the side from 1982 through to 1988. He played 318 One-Day matches for Gloucestershire, taking 231 wickets and scoring 2009 runs in Gloucestershire colours.
He won two One-Day titles including being part of the Gillette Cup Final winning team in 1973. In total he played 379 first class matches and took an outstanding 815 wickets. He also scored 6,107 runs with a top score of 119.
Following his playing career David was the Chairman of the England Test selectors from 1997 to 2008 and on 31 December 2005, he was awarded the OBE for services to cricket.
David has also served on numerous Committees for the ECB, MCC, Professional Cricketers’ Association and Lord’s Taverners.
David is part of a Cricket sub-committee and is the Board lead for safeguarding across the club.
Nick Bryan: Interim Treasurer
Nick is an experienced Chartered Accountant. After qualifying with Ernst & Young in London he spent several years progressing in commercial accounting roles at food wholesaler Booker plc. Since 2000 Nick has been Finance Director at a number of businesses, mainly within the drinks sector. Until 2022 he was finance lead at Freixenet Copestick, the UK arm of the world’s largest sparkling wine business. In his ten years at the company its turnover and profits advanced 20-fold.
Nick feels cricket in his blood. His grandfather toured Australia with the MCC. He has been an avid Gloucestershire supporter for over 50 years. One of Nick’s proudest moments was in 2018 when he became a founder trustee and Treasurer of the Mike Procter Foundation, posts he holds to this day. The charity is focussed on bettering the lives of disadvantaged children in South Africa through sport. Starting in a township in Durban its operations now extend far beyond.
Nick enjoys building relationships with finance and non-financial operators alike. His involvement with the charity and a number of start-up businesses means he is no stranger to getting stuck into nuts and bolts activity. Having been involved in multiple big-ticket commercial transactions over his career, he is also comfortable in a very corporate setting.
Professor Adeela ahmed Shafi, MBE: Co-opted Member
Adeela is Professor of Education at the University of Gloucestershire. Adeela brings to the Board an experience of leading complex international EU research projects with partners across 13 European countries. Key projects include Active Games for Change which used sport to develop social and emotional competencies of young people in conflict with the law. Adeela has an established academic publishing profile in this field.
Adeela is an active community worker supporting disadvantaged and marginalised communities and standing for MP in 2010 in Bristol. Adeela is co-Chair of the Avon & Somerset Police Scrutiny Panel and founded the Bristol Muslim Strategic Leadership Group (BMSLG) and former Commissioner for Race Equality in Bristol.
Adeela brings previous Board experience with expertise on developing strategy, an understanding of running complex projects and expertise in recruiting to high level positions. Adeela is committed to equality and fairness which should run through cricket, drawing the best talent from local communities. Given her sustained work and contribution to society, Adeela was awarded an MBE for services to social justice and research in Bristol in the Queens 2020 New Years Honours list. Adeela’s family has been passionate about cricket for three generations and feels it an honour to be on the GCC Board.
Mark Brunt: Elected Member
Mark was born and brought up in Stroud. Moving away from the county for work, he never lost his sporting roots, especially Gloucestershire Cricket and Gloucester Rugby. Mark has played cricket wherever he has lived and been active in local school and youth cricket.
For ten years he edited the Gloucestershire Exiles’ Cricket Magazine and is currently Secretary of the organisation, which raises funds for emerging Gloucestershire cricketers.
He works in an international commercial environment in the chemical industry and currently holds positions within two national trade associations.
He feels that cricket has made terrific advances in recent years, notably the women’s game, with Gloucestershire at the forefront of this movement. He is keen to bring his energy, business experience, and a supporter’s eye to support these developments, whilst being aware that success for the senior side is the driving force behind much of what can be achieved in other areas.
Sally Cordwell: Co-opted Member
Sally is currently CEO of Bristol Aerospace Museum but has held a range of roles at well known organisations in Bristol the area including Interim Executive Director at Bristol Old Vic Theatre Trust, Deputy Chief Executive at SS Great Britain, a non-Executive Director of St Pauls Carnival.
She spent her early career in marketing and communications roles in a range of organisations including the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, NHS and Arts Council.
Sally is a single parent to three children. She is a lifelong Liverpool FC fan, and now the family are Bristol City FC season ticket holders.
Kathryn Davis: Co-opted Member
Kathryn Davis was appointed Managing Director of Visit West in 2023, following 23 years working in Destination Management and Marketing in Bristol, Bath and the south west of England. Visit West deliver three Bristol Business Improvement Districts and are a nationally accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP). The LVEP is responsible for a wide range of business services and development opportunities for both B2C and B2B markets, supporting the visitor economy in the region, its destinations, and businesses.
She represents the destinations at national and international forums and promotes the value and importance of the visitor economy in the region. Kathryn is Vice-President of the Tourism Management Institute, a Board Member of UK Inbound and Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, and a member of the Tourism Industry Council.
Richard Foley: Elected Member
Bristolian, Richard, joined Gloucestershire in April 2023 having enjoyed a 35-year legal career the majority of which – 33 years – was spent at one firm, Pinsent Masons. Until October 2022 when he retired, Richard was the Global CEO and Senior Partner of the internationally renowned organisation, which employs 3,500 people located in 26 offices around the world.
As a practicing lawyer, Richard advised on some of the largest energy, rail, road, airport and port projects in the Middle East, Asia and Europe. As Senior Partner at Pinsent Masons, Richard successfully instilled a way of working that was underpinned by the belief that profit and success comes as a consequence of doing business “the right way and for the right reasons”. Under Richard’s stewardship, the business was transformed to embrace purpose as a strategy.
A cricket fan, Richard was born within a mile of the Seat Unique Stadium and played Bristol & District League cricket for a decade in his 20s and 30s. As well as a passion for the game, Richard brings with him to Gloucestershire an understanding of how to achieve sustainable growth and an over-arching desire to contribute to his hometown club.
Asif Rehmanwala: Co-opted Member
Asif is CEO of the worlds first renewable energy company, Ecotricity. He is also CEO of it’s parent Company Green Britain. Asif has played a leading part in taking revenue for the company from £35m to over £500m in the last decade.
Asif is also Vice-Chairman of Forest Green Rovers Football Club, the greenest football club in the world. Asif has significant strategic, leadership and commercial skills and experiences.
Asif is Chairman of a local charity and also an advisor to the Chairman for his local cricket club.Asif has also been a panel member for the Gloucestershire Football Associations disciplinary panel and has also participated in numerous Parliamentary select hearings.
Asif brings extensive Board experience in the areas of leadership, strategy, commerce and strategic finance. He has a deep experience of strategy and operations in the business industry and in sport as well as International experience.
Rebecca Watkin BSc (Hons), ACA (ICAEW): Co-opted Member
Rebecca qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2014. She is currently the Chief Finance Officer of a multi-academy trust in Bristol; consisting of two special schools and two alternative provisions.
She is responsible for all operational aspects of the Trust: finance, HR, IT and premises. Rebecca also utilises her skills in a voluntary capacity as treasurer of a number Girl Guiding organisations.
Matthew Windows: Elected Member
Matthew was born in Bristol and is probably best known as a Gloucestershire County Cricket Club player from 1992 – 2006. He played over 170 First-Class matches for the Club along with honours at a higher level, representing England "A" on tour to South Africa and Zimbabwe.
During his playing career, Matthew also qualified as an Investment Manager working for Rowan Dartington stockbrokers in his off seasons.
During 2007, he joined Barclays Wealth Investment Management, where he became a Director of the business responsible for the management of client assets.
In February 2017, Matthew joined LGT Vestra to set up offices in Bristol and was recently made a Partner.
Matthew continues to be dedicated to sport and is now heavily involved in the junior section of Chew Valley Rugby Club, where he spends much of his Sunday mornings!