Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL) can confirm that Will Garton has joined the WPLL Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director (INED), with Debra Nelson having been appointed as the Board’s Observer.
Garton will join Maria Raga Frances, former CEO of Depop, and ex-professional footballer Malcolm Kpedekpo in the board’s non-executive positions, with the trio set to work alongside the league, offering guidance and sharing their experiences from within their various sectors.
The primary role of Nelson meanwhile will be to bring a youth culture perspective to Board discussions and an independent point of view around youth culture habits, new technology that could impact the sports experience and consumption ensuring WPLL remains relevant, inclusive and inspiring to a younger generation.
Having held numerous positions in government for the past two decades, Garton is currently the Director General for Local Government, Growth and Communities at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
He is responsible for leading the department’s work on local government finance and reform, regional economic growth and devolution, and communities and cohesion policy.
He is further responsible for the legal and policy framework for elections and was previously Director for Public Services at HM Treasury, alongside having held the positions of Press Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Head of Communications.
Earlier in his career, Garton worked across HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Nelson meanwhile currently holds a Special Projects role at Football Beyond Borders where she recently led the rebranding of the organisation’s Youth Board to integrate programme graduates into decision making in governance, and secured partnerships with culturally relevant brands including Snapchat and Wingstop.
A passionate youth engagement specialist, she has delivered impactful programmes that have supported young people to thrive and is committed to using football as a tool for social change, while she also boasts experience of navigating the intersection of sport and youth culture.
WPLL’s nominations committee – consisting of Dawn Airey (Chair of the Board), James Rodwell (Charlton Athletic) and Arun Daniel-Selvaratnam (Manchester City) – submitted Garton and Nelson for approval to clubs across the Barclays WSL and Barclays Women’s Championship, with shareholders voting to appoint them both to the board.
Dawn Airey CBE, Chair of the WPLL Board, said: “We are thrilled to have been able to add both Will and Debra to the board.
“They both bring a plethora of experience from different sectors to the table, and the knowledge and expertise they have will be hugely important for us as the women’s professional game grows and develops.
The board and I are looking forward to working with them both, along with Malcolm and Maria, moving forwards.”
