Board

Colin Pearson brings a wealth of experience gained working in sport over the last 30 years to his role as chairman of BC. His career has included an 18-year period with the national agency for sport, sportscotland, in various senior sports development roles. He has strong directorship and chairman experience, having served since 2008 as chair of Basketball Scotland’s executive board and as a director of the national golf participation programme for young Scots, clubgolf.

Colin also held roles in local authority sports operations and management in both Scotland and England, and performs a strategic development role for the Professional Golf Association (PGA). Colin, from Edinburgh, was introduced to curling by his father and has enjoyed playing at clubs in Fife and Midlothian.

Dawn is an experienced Financial Director of both high potential start-ups and established businesses across a range of industries. After gaining her degree in accountancy at GlasgowUniversity, Dawn became a qualified CA with Ernst & Young. Having gained great experience there, she founded her own business, FinStra Ltd, in 2009 to provide strategic and financial support to a range of companies. Dawn has considerable experience of board participation, both as a director and company secretary. Dawn started curling at school (she was secretary for schools curling for a while) and learnt the game at Crossmyloof rink in Glasgow. She currently plays with the Reform and Carmunnock & Rutherglen clubs and participates in weekend competitions although she is keen to stress it’s all for fun and “not at the serious end of the sport”!

Hew Chalmers, from Stranraer, has been a director of British Curling since its inception in 2006. In 2010, he was nominated by the National Olympic Committee (NOC) – the British Olympic Association’s decision and policy-making body – to represent the interests of winter Olympic sports on the BOA’s board. He was re-elected in November 2011.

Hew has considerable experience in the field of high-performance sport and Olympic competition, having coached national teams to medal success at European and World Curling Championships. He has also attended multiple Winter Olympic Games – including the 2010 Games in Vancouver – as a team leader and team manager. Hew is also currently a representative member of curling’s international body, the World Curling Federation (WCF).

Chris’ working life began at Murrayfield Curling rink where he starting learning how to make ice after graduating from Moray House in 1995 with a BA Hons in Recreation Management. From 2000 – 2003 was director of development with the Royal Caledonian Curling Club where he was responsible for the network of development officers at individual rinks around the country. His work also covered the National and Regional Academies and looking after the junior squad. In 2000, Chris represented Scotland at the European Curling Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany. He has also coached at a regional and national level and in 2004 he coached Scotland’s ladies at the Europeans in Bulgaria.

In 2003 Chris became manager of the Highland Institute of Sport where he works closely with sportscotland colleagues and other regional sporting agencies to facilitate provision of facilities, advice and service support to help Institute funded athletes.

Nigel became CEO of scottishathletics in April 2010, and has held a number of voluntary and professional roles in sport over the past few years, including serving as a board director with Commonwealth Games England.
Through his work with the Scottish Institute of Sport, Nigel became involved with the gold medal-winning men’s and women's curling programmes in 2002, during which time he learned much about the sport at an elite level. He also has experience of other elite sports, having managed England Netball to a top-three world ranking in a previous role.
Nigel is passionate about the sport of curling and cites a desire to see British Curling teams succeed at the Sochi Winter Olympics as a major motivating factor in his decision to join our board. He is an active curler himself - playing for Blairdrummond Curling Club - and is also involved in coaching Stirling Young Curlers.

Willie starting his career in banking in 1966 with The British Linen Bank in Kirkcaldy. Willie held many positions during his 40 year banking career, retiring in 2006 after managing the cash and cheque clearing operations for HBOS on a UK-wide basis, following the merger of Bank of Scotland and Halifax in 2001.

Willie has been a member of the Bank of Scotland (Fife) Curling Club for almost 30 years and has served as their Captain on two occasions. The club is an active member of the West Fife Province winning the Province League 7 times in the past 10 years. Willie is also a member of Kennoway Curling Club. Willie is a member of the Rotary Club of Cupar holding the office of Junior Vice President for 2011 - 2012.

Willie was elected to the Board of Directors of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club in 2008 and was re-elected for a further three years at the 2011 AGM. In 2010, he was appointed to be a Director of British Curling and will hold that position until 2014.

David started working with the board of British Curling in an advisory role in mid-2008, through the British Olympic Association’s Partnership Initiative, which saw BC establish a working relationship with the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). David’s role as a media manager within the RBS communications department meant he was well-placed to offer advice and support to the board on communications issues and in December 2008 he joined the board. A keen hillwalker and cyclist, David is a former president and current committee member of St Serf’s Tennis Club in Edinburgh