The English Women’s Golf Association has announced details of the chairman and non-executive directors of its new management board.
The chairman is Sue Whittaker of Northumberland and the non-executive directors are Carola Babcock of Buckinghamshire, Carolyn Baker of Wirral, Jane Longhorn of County Durham and Ada Parr of Northamptonshire.
EWGA came into being on 1 January 2008 and replaced the English Ladies’ Golf Association. It is a company limited by guarantee and will be run by the management board whose members have the business skills to drive forward women’s golf.
The aims of EWGA include encouraging more women and girls to play golf and to join golf clubs, to increase the number of women coaches and volunteers and to offer more opportunities for women and girl golfers to improve.
Sue Whittaker has held a host of public appointments, both local and national, and has chaired two NHS trusts. She is currentl y a non-executive director of the Public Guardian Board which scrutinises the way the Public Guardian carries out his duties protecting people who lack the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves. She is a magistrate and chairs sittings of the Berwick-upon Tweed bench.
She is a lifelong golfer and a member at Bamburgh Castle Golf Club, where she is known by her married name of Webster. She commented: “Being involved with the development of women’s golf is a very exciting prospect.”
Carola Babcock is an investment banker and venture capitalist with a passion for golf. She is a member at Harleyford Golf Club.
She retired a few months ago, while still in her early 40s, after a successful 17-year career in the USA, Germany and the UK. For the last seven years Carola was head of German investment business and investment director for the Intermediate Capital Group PLC (ICG), a FTSE-listed company.
Carolyn Baker is an expert in human resources and employment law. She is a non-executive director and chair of UIA Insurance Ltd, a not-for-profit insurance company. She is also a non-executive director of Wirral Partnership Homes, a registered social landlord.
She is a member at Bromborough Golf Club and was the first woman to be elected to the club’s council. She has also served on the executive committee of the Cheshire county ladies’ golf association.
Jane Longhorn is a business consultant who has worked extensively in the field of fast moving consumer goods and has commercial, engineering and manufacturing and management skills. She has held senior posts with the Coca-Cola Company, Marlow Foods, Dairy Crest and United Biscuits.
She has been a member of Seaton Carew Golf Club since childhood and plays off five. She’s a past ladies’ captain and has set a record as the ladies champion for the last eight consecutive years. She ser ved as a deputy on the ELGA executive committee of 2006/07.
Ada Parr is an expert in communications and training. For 10 years she was a main board director of Porter Novelli Inc, which is one of the top-ten global communications companies and part of a $1.7bn NYSE listed group. She was responsible for managing Porter Novelli’s world-wide affiliates in 45 countries, along the way opening up new markets for Porter Novelli in China and India.
She’s the 2007/08 ladies’ captain at Whittlebury Park Golf Club and, with club colleague Jo Price, won the Australian Spoons, the stableford foursomes competition for England’s bronze division handicap golfers.
English Women’s Golf Association www.englishwomensgolf.org