Leadership Team

Tom Clarke-Forrest

Founder & CEO

As founder, I’ve been at S4L since the very start. You can read about why I started S4L and my key passions in my recent blog here.

It’s a huge privilege to lead this organisation, and there’s so much I love about it. But for me it’s the teamwork and the camaraderie – all collectively working towards our mission. One of my favourite memories at Sport 4 Life is probably securing our first ‘big win’ (in terms of grant funding) back in 2007. It was a key step change and I knew it meant we could bring in more staff, improve our services, and ultimately work with more young people.

No two days are the same for me at Sport 4 Life, and that’s what makes it so exciting! As the CEO, key parts of my role include leadership, strategy, ensuring good governance, income generation and managing the SLT.

An interesting fact about myself is that I lived in Brazil for 6 months, straight after university.

Rob Wells

Director of People & Strategy

I joined the organisation in October 2019, I had to change my flight for a family holiday to attend the interview but it was totally worth it in the end! I wanted to work at Sport 4 Life, because I was inspired by the work they did and really wanted to make a difference to the lives of young people.

What I enjoy most about my work here is the team and the variety, I get to be involved across the whole organisation, from people development to marketing and income generation.

I love working with people, helping them to become unstuck and make transformational change (and having some fun along the way).

An interesting fact about myself is that I ran an Ultra Marathon across Scotland and was fortunate to play in a charity football match at Stamford Bridge (although I wish it was Anfield).

Alex Jeavons

Bid Manager

Hello, I’m Alex and I joined Sport 4 Life in May 2022. When I was made aware of the role, I was really excited about the opportunity to contribute towards the already amazing work being done to support young people in the West Midlands. I spend a lot of my time writing, and it is therefore very important I am enthused and motivated about what my employer does.

I want to play my part in helping Sport 4 Life increase their growth and impact on young people, by successfully drawing as much income via grants, trusts and tendering as possible. The more I am able to achieve this, the greater our investment in supporting young people to access employment and education opportunities will be.

I am a staunch believer that everyone should have the same opportunities to succeed in whatever it is they want to do with their life.

My go-to story is that Derren Brown once stole my wallet. It took me well over a minute to realise, by which time I had walked off. I then had to turn around and walk back up to him to ask for it back. I can’t imagine there was anything of interest to Derren in a poor 18 year-old student’s wallet!

Ben Shanley

Marketing Manager

I joined Sport 4 Life in July 2024, after working for some big corporations, and was really excited about finding a role where I could truly make a difference. The first thing that struck me about Sport 4 Life was the genuine passion everyone has for the work they’re doing and the young people we support. It’s really inspiring.

As the Marketing Manager, my team and I get to oversee all the fun and creative stuff that helps Sport 4 Life grow and reach even more young people. The thing I’m looking forward to most is seeing our mentors and sport programmes in action and witnessing the real impact we have on our young people’s lives.

An interesting fact about me is that I ran the London Marathon in 2019. What makes it interesting is that, at mile 20, a bone in my leg cracked. I was determined to finish (all about the bling) and so I walked the last six miles, got my medal (obviously), and then spent the next six weeks in a cast! A nice lady in the crowd saw I was struggling and handed me some tablets. I managed to hobble to the finish line but to this day, I’ve no idea what she gave me!

Sarah Parry

Senior Business Development Manager

I joined Sport 4 Life in May 2021. The big thing that drew me to Sport 4 Life was wanting to work for a values led organisation that supported the local community. I’ve always been passionate about supporting young people to be the best they can be. This has been the driving force in my career, education and volunteering. The two things I enjoy the most at Sport 4 Life are that we have such a strong team spirit and that we are constantly adapting which makes the job varied and exciting.