Louise Burke is the Director of Participation at Sport Ireland, where she oversees the Outdoors, Partnerships and Cross Collaboration unit. Louise’s role is key to the implementation of Sport Ireland's Statement of Strategy 2023-2027 and its focus on participation and inclusion, as well as Sport Ireland’s involvement in delivering "Embracing Ireland's Outdoors," the National Outdoor Recreation Strategy. Through her work at Sport Ireland, Louise’s leadership is instrumental in developing the Active Cities Plan whilst driving initiatives that ensure that the benefits of participation and outdoor recreation are accessible to all. With a strong background in national governing bodies, Louise is dedicated to fostering collaboration and inclusion within the sports sector, thus ensuring Sport Ireland creates an active nation where all people are encouraged to start, continue to participate, progress and achieve in sport.

Larissa Davies is Professor of Applied Sports Economics at Manchester Metropolitan University. Larissa’s research focuses on the economic and social impact of sport. She specialises in using Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis to value outcomes that are difficult to measure, such as health, wellbeing, and social capital. Larissa has developed social impact models for measuring sport at the population level, and for specific sports, facility operators and infrastructure projects, both in the UK and internationally. She has worked extensively with a wide range of stakeholders across the sport sector, including national sports agencies, government, charities, private sector organisations and governing bodies. Larissa is part of a research consortium currently updating the social value model for England. Previously, she led an SROI study of recreational physical activity in New Zealand.

For 30 years, Hayley has played a leadership role in physical activity, sport, policy, and community development, currently as CEO of GM Moving. She is a committed community volunteer and charity trustee where she lives in the Peak District and supports several advisory boards and communities of practice and learning. Hayley has always believed in the power of an active life for health, happiness, friendship, and community. She is a passionate advocate of this agenda in her culture change, system change, behaviour change work in Greater Manchester and beyond. She supports, works with, and learns from colleagues across England, and through the Global Community of Practice on whole systems approaches to inactivity and inequalities, which she founded in 2023. Hayley’s role involves leading for change and shifting culture and systems across the whole devolved and integrated system in Greater Manchester, including health, local government, charity, private and social enterprise sectors. She has developed her understanding of working in complex systems from a community perspective and a strategic one. She is convinced that a whole system approach to supporting active lives is the only way we will succeed in designing moving back into everyday life and addressing health inequalities. Hayley is known for leading with humility and curiosity and for her open approach to learning and connecting others, through her writing, podcasts, hosting and facilitating of spaces for people to connect and build relationships, so that they can do great work together. She recognises that working in complexity is challenging, and practices what she preaches as she disconnects, unwinds, and make sense of the work, whilst walking, swimming, running in the Peak District, UK, where she lives. She believes that we do our best work when we are physically and mentally well and supports her teams and colleagues to put that first.

James Sutherland has been Chief Executive Officer of Golf Australia since 2020. Golf Australia is the national governing body for golf, responsible for leading and supporting the game’s growth ambitions with a strong focus on inspiring more Australians to play more golf. James is passionate about golf’s potential to grow as an accessible inclusive, fun sport for all. Powered by the game’s first ever national strategy - launched in 2022 and endorsed by Golf Australia, the PGA of Australia and the WPGA Tour of Australasia - the game is enjoying an unprecedented period of participation growth and interest. James is qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young and has since had a long and distinguished career in the sports industry, highlighted by his time as CEO of Cricket Australia for 17 years and board positions including the Geelong Cats, Play HQ and Sport Integrity Australia.