The Women’s Sports Alliance signs Adidas and JD retail veterans

The Women’s Sports Alliance (WSA), the platform that gives female athletes the tools to drive their commercial value, has announced its new advisory board made up of industry experts including retail veterans from JD Sports and Adidas.

The united expertise of the Advisory Board members hopes to push WSA’s agenda to advance the careers of female athletes and drive gender equality.

Leading the Advisory Board is Phil Benton, who boasts 27 years of experience including Vice President of Sales for UK and Ireland at Adidas North Europe. He brings a wealth of knowledge in grassroots sports and brand strategies.

Joining the board is Germany-based Clementine Painter, who is the Sustainability Lead for Adidas Europe and heads the Breaking Barriers For Girls project. She brings more than 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, management.

Lucynda Davies, who is currently the Chief Brand Relationships Director for JD Sports, will also be joining. During her 10 years with JD, Lucynda has worked with the global sports brands building strong commercial partnerships and alliances throughout.

The board is also made up of Donna Stelling, Clare Bennie, Jane Cowmeadow, Dr Amanda Partington and Jon Buckthorp.

Jordan Guard, WSA Founder and Managing Director, commented: "The Women’s Sports Alliance is delighted to announce our new advisory board, which includes some of the innovative trend setters across women’s sport in the past two decades. It’s a real honour to be working with Phil Benton and the wealth of experience and expertise he’s helped bring to the board cannot be underestimated.

"The WSA Advisory Board includes individuals who have not only helped shaped the growth of women’s sport but all sport, no matter the gender. It’s a proud moment for me and the WSA and we look forward to continuing to push the boundaries of women’s sport by supporting existing top-flight athletes and the aspiring professionals of the next generation."