British Rowing appoints Diana Hunter as new Chair
British Rowing is delighted to announce the appointment of Diana Hunter as its new Chair subject to contract, following an open and competitive recruitment process
Diana brings a wealth of leadership experience across elite sport, governance, and commercial enterprise. She currently serves as Chair of Pentathlon GB and as a Non Executive Director of the British Judo Association, roles from which she will step down in a managed transition in order to take up the Chair position at British Rowing.
The appointment was made by the Board of British Rowing, in accordance with the organisation’s Articles of Association, following a publicly advertised process supported by executive search specialists Nurole. The process attracted 32 applicants, with a longlist of 12 candidates from which six were invited to first-round interviews. The process was led by Senior Independent Director Karena Vleck.
Second-round interviews were conducted by Karena alongside member-nominated Board member Seb Walker and Thames Regional Representative Peter Brett. Simon Morton, Deputy CEO and Director of Events, Sporting System and External Affairs at UK Sport, attended the final interviews as an active observer.
Interim Chair Peter Milhofer, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Diana to British Rowing. Her track record of transformative leadership in both sport and business is exceptional. Diana’s experience in guiding organisations through change, building inclusive cultures, and driving sustainable growth makes her the ideal person to lead British Rowing into its next chapter.”
Diana Hunter is a seasoned executive and board leader with a distinguished career across the retail, consumer, and sports sectors. As CEO of Conviviality plc, she led the business through its successful IPO and major acquisitions, growing revenue from £360m to £1.6bn. Previously, she spent nine years at Waitrose and thirteen at Sainsbury’s. In governance roles, she has chaired the transformation of Pentathlon GB, helped scale Wolf & Badger to over £70m GMV, and provided strategic support to high-performing leadership teams across sectors.
On her appointment, Diana said:
“Rowing is a sport with huge potential – to inspire excellence, build community, and change lives. I’m honoured to take on this role and excited to work with the Board, a strong new executive team, and the wider rowing community to help the sport grow, evolve, and thrive. British Rowing has laid out an ambitious strategy for the years ahead, and I look forward to helping bring that to life.”
Diana will formally take up the role on 1st August 2025, following a handover period with the interim Chair, who will remain involved in a non-executive capacity as an independent director and Chair of the Risk and Integrity Committee. The previous Chair of seven years, Mark Davies, stepped down on 30th April and took up the role of interim Chief Executive Officer on 1st May.
