New board appointments at leisure operator

The charity Edinburgh Leisure, which operates over 50 sports and leisure facilities across the Scottish capital, has made four new board appointments.

Welcoming Gosia (Malgorzata) Paterson, Rachel Ducker, John Evans, and Gavin Munn to the Board, Scott Haldane, Chairperson for Edinburgh Leisure’s Board said: “Edinburgh Leisure is delighted to welcome our new Board members.  A key element of Edinburgh Leisure’s governance is having a non-executive Board of Directors, who have the collective responsibility of directing Edinburgh Leisure, ensuring the charity operates in accordance with its Memorandum and Articles of Association and meets all its legal responsibilities.  The Board give their time and expertise on a voluntary basis to support June and her team in leading the organisation. Edinburgh Leisure is very fortunate to have a Board of Directors, who come from a variety of industries, businesses, and specialisms and give their time and expertise willingly.”

June Peebles, Edinburgh Leisure’s Chief Executive said: “COVID-19 has changed all our lives and the leisure industry, like many industries, suffered because of the various lockdowns and venue closures. However, Edinburgh Leisure, with support from the City of Edinburgh Council, has weathered the storm. And while the impact of the pandemic is diminishing, other national and world events are impacting on us. However, the Board and I remain confident that Edinburgh Leisure will adapt and overcome the challenges and continue to make a positive contribution to the health and wellbeing of the citizens of Edinburgh. Indeed, never has the importance of being and staying active been more important to people’s health and wellbeing.”

For more information:   www.edinburghleisure.co.uk

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Notes to editors:

Gosia (Malgorzata) Paterson
Gosia spent over 10 years, working in Marketing and Communications roles for companies including L’Oréal and Unilever. Five years ago, she joined Sainsbury’s Bank specializing in Marketing Technology, and led several transformational projects delivering improvement in customer engagement using data science and analytics. Additionally, Gosia is actively engaged in driving the Bank’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy and sustainability agenda. Gosia graduated from Edinburgh Napier University (BA in Business Management) and Wroclaw University of Economics (MA in International Relations).

Rachel Ducker
Rachel has been the Director of Finance and ICT at Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland since March 2020. She previously managed the capital budget in the Estates department at the University of Edinburgh and before that was the financial accountant for Macmillan Cancer Support. She brings financial experience in the private, public, and not for profit sector as well as experience in managing large property portfolios, both at Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland and Edinburgh University.

John Evans
John Evans’ work credentials include marketing, HR, Corporate Services, and CEO roles across a range of sectors and industries. John currently works with South of Scotland Enterprise where he is the Director of Transformation and Development and has a strong focus on wellbeing and mental health matters. 

John is also a board member and trustee of The Leith Trust and Leith Community Fund and the lead for ‘Leith Gives’. John was a founder of sports charity ‘Hearts and Balls’.

John was born into a family of sports fanatics, and nothing has changed. John admits to mediocrity (at best) in many sports ranging from football and rugby through to squash, golf and sailing. He is a rugby referee and coach and team manager for an Under 18s team in North Edinburgh. 

Gavin Munn
Gavin Munn, a chartered surveyor for over 30 years is a founding director of Cordatus Real Estate, a niche commercial property investment management business operating across the UK. In addition to establishing two new property companies, Gavin’s previous experience has spanned working for a property agency in London to property Fund Management in Edinburgh. The largest portion of his career has been spent working at one of the UK’s most successful development companies during which time he was responsible for developing over a million square feet of retail, office, and leisure space predominantly in Scotland. Gavin has a Land Economy degree from Aberdeen University and is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Investment Property Forum.