The Executive Team

Mark Osikoya

Chief Executive

Mark Osikoya took up his role as CEO at Commonwealth Games England in March 2023. 

He joined the team after eight years at the National Basketball Association where he headed up the global partnership team in the EME region. Prior to working at the NBA, he headed up sponsorship at Barclays, Coca-Cola and The Football Association in addition to prior experience at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and adidas. 

Mark is currently a trustee at StreetGames UK.

Francesca Carter-Kelly

Director of Sport and Performance

Francesca is Commonwealth Games England’s Director of Sport and Performance, which involves working closely with National Governing Bodies to ensure the team and athletes are best supported in the lead up to and at the Games.

Francesca was recently the Deputy Chef de Mission for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Chef de Mission for the Trinbago 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games, and will be our Chef de Mission for Glasgow 2026.

Francesca was the Chef de Mission for Team Great Britain at the Winter World University Games in Russia in 2019  oversaw the development and delivery of Team England’s preparation camp for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Ben Shepherd

Chief Operating Officer

Ben joined Commonwealth Games England as COO in March 2023.

Ben brings thirteen years of senior financial experience across the sport, charity, and retail sectors. He took up his role with Commonwealth Games England after six years at the Lawn Tennis Association including his role as Head of Finance, and his most recent role as Director of Business Operations and Company Secretary at ukactive.

Harriet Smith

Head of Programme Management

Harriet’s role involves working closely with all project owners to provide support and focus ahead of key timelines in the run up to a Games.

Harriet was the Project Manager for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, the Birmingham 2022 Games, and supported the delivery for Team Great Britain at the Summer World University Games in Naples in 2019. Most recently, she also supported Team GB in their preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Olivia Harper

Office Coordinator

Olivia is the Office Coordinator for Commonwealth Games England having joined the team in May 2023.

Coming from Los Angeles, CA., Olivia moved to the UK in 2019 as a Master's student at the University of St Andrews, and later LSE. She studied Sports Management in her undergrad, having worked in the Olympic Movement in the USA.

She worked with The Boat Race Company and British Mountaineering Council before joining Commonwealth Games England. Olivia has a passion for arts and entertainment, as well as golfing, running and swimming in her free time.

Kirsty Woodcock

Head of Marketing and Communications

Kirsty began her career after university at The National Lottery, eventually focusing on brand management, the Good Causes and sometimes meeting the odd millionaire. Working with the sport projects funded by TNL inspired a commitment to a career working in sport- first at ecommerce giant Wiggle, and later at Specialized bicycles as the Head of UK Marketing.

Combining commercial experience with a genuine passion for all things sports and outdoors, Kirsty now heads up our marketing and communications, driving awareness, engagement and advocacy across Team England’s fan base, partners and beyond.

Charlotte Mallabone

Operations Manager

Charlotte joined Commonwealth Games England in December 2024 in her role as Operations Manager. She will be leading on several functions such as transport, logistics and arrivals & departures in the lead up to Glasgow 2026.

She joined us from the Events Team at Loughborough University and prior to that worked at Youth Sport Trust. Charlotte was part of our ‘Team Behind The Team’ at Birmingham 2022, based at the Immersion Camp.

Hollie Lunn

Games Services Manager

Hollie joined the team in 2018 as an Event Operations Intern. Since then, she has worked in the operations team at Commonwealth Games England for Birmingham 2022 and the Trinbago 2023 Youth Games where her role included Accreditation, Village planning and Volunteer Recruitment. More recently, Hollie undertook a year secondment with Team GB for Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Hollie’s main focus going into Glasgow is leading on building our ‘Team Behind the Team’ and ensuring they are ready for the Games. She will also be supporting the operations and sport team in planning and delivery of various Games projects.

Jon Austin

Head of Sport

Jon has a wealth of experience from across the British sporting system. In addition to having been a CEO and Performance Director within two National Governing Bodies, he has been Team Leader at multi-sport events including the Olympic, European and Commonwealth Games. At the Gold Coast 2018, he led the badminton team to success and in Birmingham 2022 he was responsible for Team England based at the University of Warwick. 

Leading up to Glasgow 2026, Jon will work closely with all the sports involved, supporting athletes and coaches to perform to the best of their ability.

Tom Stokes

Head of Events and Games Operations

Tom joined CGE in November 2024 as Head of Events and Operations.  He is a seasoned sports industry professional with over 20 years of experience. He has held senior operational positions with England Rugby, the British and Irish Lions, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, and Team GB. He has a strong global network and is passionate about creating high-performance environments for athletes and teams.

Tom enjoys participating in sport in his spare time, playing rugby, cricket and running.

Mairead McErlean

Events Coordinator

Mairead McErlean supports the Operations Managers with logistics and event delivery. She previously worked at Badminton Ireland as National Events and Membership Officer, managing national events and membership services. Mairead’s background includes experience in sports management and operations during her time at the University of Bath. Her expertise in event coordination and logistics helps ensure the successful execution of events for Team England.