Commonwealth champions Kristian Thomas and Orlan Jackman are among new additions to the Board of Commonwealth Games England.

Thomas joins the Board as Athlete Non-Executive Director while Jackman will take up a newly-formed Board Apprentice role.

They are joined by seasoned HR professional Liz Mulkerrin, who is Team England’s new Non-Executive Director - People.

Thomas, 34, enjoyed a glittering gymnastics career that saw him win a full set of Commonwealth medals including men’s team gold at Glasgow 2014.

Since retiring, Thomas has undertaken roles with the British Elite Athlete Association, the Premier League and Team England at Birmingham 2022.

The Athlete NED plays an important role in bringing an athlete perspective to help provide the best possible experience for Team England athletes at future Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games.

Thomas said: “It’s a huge honour to be able to give back to the Commonwealth sports movement by working at Team England.

“The athlete voice is a key pillar of who we are at Team England and it underpins everything that happens at Board level. It’s important we hear from athletes, use their skills and feed into our decision-making process. I think I can tap into my own experiences as an athlete in order to do that.”


Jackman played a starring role in one of Team England’s biggest moments at Birmingham 2022 as the men’s 3x3 basketball team won gold in dramatic fashion.

Jackman is Commonwealth Games Legacy Project Officer at Basketball England and is passionate about ensuring athletes are represented at every level of sport.

“I’m grateful for the learning opportunity that Team England are giving me by launching this initiative,” said Jackman.

“As an athlete, I’ve proven I can execute under pressure and I think there are a lot of transferable skills from my playing career that I will be able to take into this role.

“My aim is to give people a voice that don’t have a voice.”

Mulkerrin has over 25 years’ experience in the media, broadcasting, sports and travel sectors.

She is joining us from a post as Chief People & Culture Officer for Palatinate group and previously worked as People Director at Harlequins Rugby.


“I am thrilled and honoured to be joining the Board of Commonwealth Games England,” said Mulkerrin. “ I'm very much looking forward to working with all the team to support on People initiatives and to ensure the continued successful future of the Games.

“I am passionate about people, the biggest asset to any organisation, and love being able to invest my time and energy in getting the very best out of individuals, and thrive on working with people who lead and inspire.

“I believe I can add significant value in helping shape and align the People strategy for Commonwealth Games England.”

John Steele, Chairman of Commonwealth Games England, said: “We are delighted to welcome Liz, Orlan and Kristian to Team England. We were fortunate to have a very strong field of candidates to select from, and are delighted that they will be strengthening our Board even further.

“Liz’s experience in shaping and delivering People strategy is second to none, and Kristian’s record as a competitive athlete and athlete representative is exceptional. We are also excited by our new Board Apprentice initiative which seeks to ensure that we play our part in developing former athletes to take up Board positions, whilst also helping us keep in touch with a new generations views on sport. Orlan’s enthusiasm is infectious and he has real potential to be a successful sports leader of the future.”