Dr Catherine Bishop and Miriam Luke MBE to speak at the British Rowing Club Leaders Conference
Introducing speakers and an opportunity for young leaders to shape the future of their clubs!
The first ever British Rowing Club Leaders Conference will take place on 1 February 2026. With an exciting programme filled with practical tips on building capacity, unlocking potential and the future landscape of our sport, the Conference is an incredible opportunity for leaders to come together and bring back value to their clubs.
Each club has five free spaces for leaders to attend. Leaders could be committee members and presidents, or active volunteers who have the ability to put learnings into action. Young leaders are also invited to be nominated for a free place!
Topics covered will include important updates on training for club members necessary to keep our sport safe. Presentations will include event hosting and regatta planning, insurance, development opportunities for coaches, navigating property leases and land acquisition and more.
Club leaders have received a free code for each club to nominate their delegate over email. Any issues, please get in touch on [email protected]!
Cath Bishop to give the keynote speech ‘Shaping your club for the future’
Olympic medallist, speaker facilitator, and coach Dr Cath Bishop will be giving the keynote speech at the British Rowing Club Leaders Conference.
Dr Cath Bishop learnt to row at Cambridge University and went on to compete at three Olympics. Her racing highlights include winning the 2003 World Championships and an Olympic silver medal in 2004. Formerly a British diplomat specialising in global conflict issues, she now works as a leadership and culture coach.
Cath’s book, The Long Win, challenges how traditional definitions of success can hold us back in sport, business and education. She is an independent advisor to British Gymnastics following the Whyte Review and writes a monthly column for The Guardian as well as co-hosting The Inside Out Culture podcast. Cath is a Henley Steward, advisor to the True Athlete Project and Trustee of Love Rowing.
Watch Cath’s British Rowing Coaching Conference keynote speech ‘Why deeper connections hold the key to unlocking potential (on and off the water)’ back on RowHow!
Miriam Luke MBE to be session chair
Miram Luke MBE will be running the British Rowing Club Leader Conference Q&A and chairing all sessions.
A three time Olympian, Miriam started rowing in 1984 at Southampton University. In 1987 she moved to London and rowed for Thames Rowing Club, where she was later Vice President. Selected for the GB Rowing Team in 1990, Miriam capped off her international rowing career at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games in the quad alongside Katherine Grainger, Gillian Lindsay and her sister Guin Batten. The crew brought home Britain’s first women’s Olympic rowing medal – a silver.
Since retiring from international competition, Miriam has played a leading role off the water. In 2012, Miriam was Village Manager for Rowing and Canoe Sprint for the London Olympics, planning and organising a village with competitors needs at the forefront and recruiting and training over 200 Gamesmakers. Miriam took on the Chair’s role for Henley Women’s Regatta from 2012 to 2021, where she led a team of dedicated, well organised and forward thinking volunteers who transformed the event to provide women rowers with an exceptional competition on the iconic Henley course. Miriam has been Henley Rowing Club President since 2017 and a Steward of Henley Royal Regatta since 2016.
Young Leader opportunities!
Do you have a Young Leader in your club who you’d like to nominate for a free place at the British Rowing Club Leaders’ Conference? Send in your nominations to [email protected]!
Please include:
- Name
- Age
- Email address
- A paragraph explaining why you are nominating them
