The London Legacy Development Corporation has appointed four new board members including a former member of the Legacy Youth Board and a Paralympic Gold Medallist, as it enters the 10-year anniversary of the London 2012 Games.

It is the first time that LLDC has appointed a young person with experience from the  Legacy Youth Board which is made up and led by a dedicated group of 18–25 year olds from the local boroughs. The four new members bring experience in finance and audit; the management and running of large venues; sports and disability.

The LLDC Board is made up of 16 members appointed by the Mayor of London and is responsible for setting the strategic direction and overall policy for the Corporation which is responsible for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, its venues,  driving growth, investment and opportunities for local people. The Board provides leadership and support to the organisation, offering oversight and scrutiny as well as monitoring performance and corporate governance.

The new members appointed are:

• Gabrielle Appiah 

• Gurpreet Dehal

• Phil Mead 

• Helene Raynsford 

Sir Peter Hendy, Chair of the London Legacy Development Corporation, said: 

“We are delighted to welcome the new Board Members to the LLDC and am particularly pleased that Gabrielle, a former Legacy Youth Board member, is joining us and brings her perspective as a local young person to the Board. They bring with them a breadth of knowledge and experience that will help shape and influence Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the surrounding area and take forward regeneration plans to bring lasting benefits to east London for years to come.

“Our thanks also go to the members who have retired from the Board, Sonita Alleyne, Nicki Dunn, Keith Edelman and Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, for their amazing contributions which have helped shape the legacy of the London 2012 Games.”

Gabrielle Appiah is a former member of Legacy Youth Board from 2014-19 who went on to study Planning at undergraduate and Masters level. She is currently a Project Coordinator at Soundings, a community engagement consultancy which delivers inclusive programmes of engagement and capacity building with diverse communities.  Gabrielle is Co-Vice Chair of Women in Planning London, a Licentiate representative member of The Royal Town Planning Institute General Assembly, and a contributor to the New London Architecture’s Diversity Think Tank and BAME in Property.

Gurpreet Dehal is an experienced Non-Executive Director whose current portfolio includes Defence Infrastructure, Equiti Capital UK, The University of Derby and E-ACT Multi Academy Trust. His executive career had a strong focus on risk, business and operational leadership, working for large corporations including Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse - where he held the role of Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer for Global Prime Services. He left Credit Suisse in 2014 to begin his portfolio career.

Phil Mead is the former Managing Director for NEC Group Arenas and Ticket Factory, he has spent nearly 40 years in venues management, working for G-MEX and SECC prior to joining the NEC Group in 2007. He is currently Chair of the 2022 NEC Commonwealth Games Delivery Unit and the former Chair of NEC Group Arenas and Ticket Factory. 

Helene Raynsford became the first ever Paralympic Rowing Gold Medallist at the 2008 Beijing Games after becoming World Champion in 2006 as a single sculler.  Prior to rowing she was part of the Great Britain Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team.  She was part of the Sport Management Team for rowing across both Olympics and Paralympics and went on to Chair the 2012 Paralympics Legacy Programme ‘Motivate East’ from 2014-2016. She is Chair of the British Paralympic Association’s Athletes’ Commission where she is also a Non-Exec Director.  She Chaired the 2016 Inclusion summit at the Rio Games on behalf of the IPC & is on the International Advisory Board for of the World Academy of Sport as well as a Non-Exec Director at the Sport & Recreation Alliance.  Helene has over 14 years’ experience in the NHS and Local Authority as a trained Public Health Professional at local, regional and national level.