Joel Lavery

Joel has over 30 years experience working in sport at city, region and national level, specialising in strategy, policy and partnerships. He led on the ground-breaking Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games £24m Business and Tourism Programme which aimed to raise the profile of the West Midlands region and boost trade, tourism and investment.  

Joel began his professional career in local government sports development, before eventually heading up strategy and performance for a broad range of leisure, culture, and community services. He joined British Cycling in 2009, leading the expansion of the award winning Skyride initiative across the UK before taking on the role of Head of Partnerships and Major Events. He was subsequently a key architect of the ground-breaking ‘societal partnership’ with HSBC UK as well leading British Cycling’s Major Event Strategy.    

He is a former british heavyweight Taekwondo champion, GB team member and former instructor, coach and volunteer and is a passionate advocate for the value of sport and its positive impact on individuals and communities.