Basketball England is delighted to announce the appointment of three co-opted Board Members for the next 12 months. This positive step will further strengthen the Board and guide the organisation’s continued evolution to build and profile the game with the wider basketball community.
Basketball England is heavily focused on delivering growth in the game. Our Strategic Plan, Growing Basketball Together (2018-2024) states ambitious goals to grow the sport, support clubs and members, attract more women and girls to the sport and develop talented young people to become a more competitive basketball nation. We know that basketball can change lives and we are delighted to have attracted a trio of quality Board members who can help us make a difference at all levels of the game.
Cedi enjoyed a successful 17 year playing career which included winning the National Championship with BCP London and representing England’s Senior Men after which he established an international reputation as a coach and player developer.
Outside of basketball, in a 40-year career in the public, Not-for-Profit and private sectors, Cedi held a series of senior positions including over 25 years at CEO level in the housing association and charity sectors. Today Cedi is owner and Managing Director of Article Consulting Ltd, owner and CEO of La Nova Group and an accredited Life Coach.
Cedi has over 30 years’ Non-Executive Director experience within NHS, housing association, charity, and higher education sectors and has been named on four separate occasions as one of Britain's 100 Most Influential Black People. Cedi has also been recognised as one of the ‘1,000 Black & Asian Heroes 1950-2010’ by Our Heritage TV and as a Global Goodwill Ambassador in 2018.
Cedi has been married to his wife Sue for nearly 40 years, and they have two sons, both of whom played basketball internationally, and three grandchildren.
Cedi Frederick said: ‘I’m delighted and honoured to be invited to join the Board of Basketball England. I hope that my 35-year involvement in this wonderful game as a player, coach, administrator and fan, when combined with my business and Board level experience, enables me to make a positive contribution to the organisation and the game.’
Benny Bonsu is an award-winning global Sports Broadcaster and producer, currently employed as the Head of Women’s Sports for Give Me Sport. Give Me Sport is a global leader in sports, events and media, boasting the largest single publisher Facebook page in the world, with over 26.6 million members. In addition, Give Me Sport content generates over 3.4 billion impressions, reaching over 140 million unique users.
Benny’s vision and role for Give Me Sport Women is to establish it as a global platform where women and girls go to to get real, honest, unstoppable, unapologetic, and bold news stories and support from the leading women in sports.
Previously she worked for the London 2012 Olympics, Alibaba (AliExpress LIVE), IMG Euro League, BBC World Service, Sky Sports, MTG Africa, BT Sport, and Matchroom Sport. As a huge voice for NBA African players in the league and beyond, Benny is a big advocate for professional and youth development in sport.
Away from sport, Benny is a celebrated leader in education and in 2017 she was named top 5 in education and academia in the UK as a Rising Star. In 2015, Benny created the Girls In Sports Foundation, supported by Fusion Lifestyle, to provide opportunities for women and girls to access any and every sport available and inspire them to think or pursue sports as a career, using the spotlight and the real-life stories of leading women in sport.
Benny has been a community activist for sports and community since the age of 13. In 2018, she was named Top 100 most influential African woman by ‘Okay Africa’ and nominated for the Sports Woman of the Year by the Batons Award. In 2017, the Women’s Sports Trust named her as Top 5 Media Personality of the Year. Benny serves as an ambassador for UN Women UK for ending violence against women and girls through the “Draw A Line” campaign and as a Board of Director for the Diocese of Westminster.
Julie is a basketball player through and through and well recognised and respected in the sport. She is an inspiration to women in basketball and has had a fantastic career which includes the following:
Julie’s is currently working at Bridge College as the Sports and Community Programmes Manager.
Julie Page said: “I hope to be able to positively influence the women and girls’ journey, of which we have already travelled such a fantastic distance since I was young. It’s a very exciting time to be a part of Basketball England, I’m looking forward to bringing my knowledge, experience and passion to the table”
Clare Wardle, Chair of the Basketball England Board said: “With great initiatives like SlamJam, 3x3 and our forthcoming campaign to strengthen participation by women and girls, we are creating better conditions for our sport to grow and develop. I was very pleased we had so many strong director candidates prepared to devote their time for basketball at this important point and I’d like to thank them and everyone who contributes to the sport. We have had fantastic support from our regional chairs, the advisory groups in coaching, officiating, talent, plus leagues and competitions all made possible by dedicated staff and volunteers. Our three new directors all have a strong background in basketball, and each also brings a new dimension to the Board that will help us drive us forward. I am delighted to welcome Cedi, Benny and Julie to the Board of Basketball England.”
