18th May 2023

Julia Newton has been appointed the new chair of Women in Sport alongside her position with the GB Taekwondo Board.

Newton has been a champion of female athletes during her tenure and hopes to continue this with her new role too.

She said: “As someone who has always championed the cause of women’s empowerment and strongly believes in the life-changing potential of sport, Women in Sport’s remarkable work has long been an inspiration for me.

“Being offered the opportunity to work with this hugely respected and trailblazing charity is genuinely one of the most exciting moments of my career.

“I am honoured to be chosen to help lead Women in Sport as it continues its ground-breaking research, considered thought leadership and powerful collaborations.

“There has been a significant step change in the way women’s sport is viewed in the UK and it’s fantastic to see sold out stadiums and arenas but there is still a lot to do to ensure women and girls have both equality and equity at every life stage. 

“As a team we must sustain and capitalise on this speed of change and ensure greater access and opportunities for current and future generations so that every single female can enjoy the very real benefits and joy that sport can bring to our lives.”

Julia started her career at Nike in the U.S before co-founding sports marketing agency, Shine Communications.

Over 15 years she helped grow Shine from a team of two to more than eighty, and worked with global sports brands including: Dunlop, Slazenger, Puma, and Reebok.

Julia also set up the charity, the Rural Refugee Network, which has worked both regionally and nationally to resettle refugees from Syria and other war-torn regions in rural parts of the UK.

Women in Sport has a proud history of securing change for women and girls and is the most long-standing charity in its field.

It recognises that gender stereotypes and institutional bias are holding women and girls back in sport and in life.

The charity also researches, campaigns, influences and works in partnership in pursuit of its vision that no woman or girl is excluded from the joy fulfilment and lifelong benefits of sport.