Governors
Appointed by the board as custodians of the philosophy of the sport / discipline
Ambassador
Appointed by the board to act as a representative of Parkour UK and promote the philosophy of the sport / discipline in the UK
President
A individual who is the ceremonial figurehead of Parkour UK
Executive Directors
Appointed by the the voting members of Parkour UK to oversee and direct the work of the NGB
Independent Directors & Advisors
Appointed by the board and are external to Parkour UK. At least one of the appointed independent directors will hold the position of Chair. Advisors have the same role but are co-opted non-voting board members.
Governors, Ambassador & President
YANN HNAUTRA
Governor
Yann is one of the Yamakasi group founders, which stood as the origin of the Art of Displacement. High level sportsman and comedy-artist, he has become senior coach and instructor as well within his company, Majestic Force. He works with the world-famous Cirque du Soleil in its creative department and regularly prepares groups of performers who have to be in top physical shape for the entire duration of a show. Yann is responsible for much of the shaping of the discipline in its early years and is a true guardian of the spirit of the art.
CHAU BELLE
Governor
Chau is one of the founding members of the world-famous Yamakasi group, which was at the very origin of the Art of Displacement. High level sportsman and artist-actor, within his own company Majestic Force in France he also acts as choreographer and stunt coordinator. Chau works closely with major event organisers and production companies to develop and deliver all aspects of our professional services. Chau founded the Art Du Deplacement Academy in Paris, and now works internationally to promote the discipline.
SEBASTIEN FOUCAN
Ambassador
Sébastien is one of the founders of the discipline and is well known for his views on the philosophy behind freerunning. Sébastien now lives in London with his wife and two children. Sébastien came to prominence in the UK after the showing of the Channel 4 documentaries, Jump London (2003) and Jump Britain (2005). In 2006 that Sébastien made his acting debut, starring as Mollaka in the 21st James Bond film; Casino Royale. In 2008, Sébastien’s first book Freerunning – Find Your Way was published.
STEPHANE VIGROUX
President
Stephane learned his parkour from one of the founders of the discipline, David Belle, studying with him for five years, and is now considered one of the world authorities in his own right. Stephane has remained central to the global growth of the discipline by helping to found Parkour Generations, and is now a prominent figure in the dissemination of parkour both in the UK and around the world. He now devotes his life to the protection and growth of parkour and to making it accessible to any and all who want to learn. Stephane is a founding member of Parkour UK.
CEO & Executive Directors
EUGENE MINOGUE
Chief Executive Officer
With over a fifteen years of experience in Sports Development & an MA in International Sports Policy, Eugene was central to integrating parkour within the mainstream sports consciousness of the UK. As a Sports Development Manager at the City of Westminster, Eugene was the project co-ordinator of the seminal documentary Jump Westminster, which proved conclusively how beneficial the discipline of parkour could be as a social engagement programme for young people. Eugene’s pioneering approach has helped establish parkour as a hugely beneficial and accessible activity across the UK, and he is a founding member of Parkour UK.
FRANCOIS ‘FORREST’ MAHOP
Executive Director
With an elite level background in athletics and sports and a degree in Sports Physiology, Forrest has been instrumental in creating a powerful relationship between the original French practitioners and the burgeoning UK parkour community. Forrest has lived in London since 2004 and has been a driving force behind the official recognition of the discipline with the UK sporting authorities, co-founding the world-leading organisation Parkour Generations. Forrest is a founding member of Parkour UK.
CHRIS ‘BLANE’ ROWAT
Executive Director
Blane began training in September 2003, the day after the seminal documentary Jump London first aired in the UK. Since then he has become a leading figure in the UK and global community, highly respected for his diligent training and endless enthusiasm to help others find their way in the sport. Blane’s training blog has become an inspiration to thousands of practitioners around the world, and his training videos and articles on methods of practice and concepts have become instant classics. He enjoys travelling the world and meeting and sharing ideas with the practitioners he encounters, as well as passing on the extensive knowledge and insight he has gleaned from years of dedicated practice. Blane was appointed to the board of Parkour UK in September 2012 following a governance review.
DAN EDWARDES
Executive Director
Dan has been a pioneering figure in the global development of parkour, helping communities to grow on every continent, and has established the first and largest professional parkour organisation and teaching framework in the world at Parkour Generations. Dan has performed for major movies and commercials, consults on a range of international projects and coaches regularly at all levels both in the UK and internationally, and has published two books on parkour worldwide, the second being the acclaimed ‘Handbook of Parkour and Freerunning’. He regularly gives presentations, talks and seminars on the discipline. Dan is a founding member of Parkour UK.
Independent Directors & Advisors
STEPHEN ‘MITCH’ MITCHELL
Independent Director and Chair
Mitch has been working for SkillsActive, the Sector Skills Council for Active Leisure, Learning and Well-being for 9 years, most recently in support of the 46 priority NGBs of sport in England to help them ensure they have a fit for purpose workforce to deliver Whole Sport Plans. Mitch also sits on the Board of the COMPASS Association and has recently taken on the role Board member with the County Sports Partnership for Essex – Active Essex. Mitch was originally born and raised in Royal Leamington Spa and studied Sports Science at Loughborough University. A recently retired rugby player, Mitch is a firm believer in the power of sport and the role it can play in changing lives – particularly of our future generations. Mitch continues to work with all shapes and sizes of organisations across the active leisure Sector to help ensure they have a workforce in place with the right skills and drivers to deliver our strategic objectives around health, social cohesion, employment and participation
DOMINIC EDINGTON
Independent Director and Treasurer
Dominic is a qualified Chartered Certified Accountant with experience in both subjective and objective assignments, across a broad range of business sectors at all levels from preliminary assessment, consideration and review, to total business re-engineering. Dominic is currently a Partner in Private Practice acting in core roles of taxation and accounting aspects in an advisory capacity, both proactively and reactively, and has been instrumental in advising and guiding numerous Small and Medium-sized businesses through all commercial aspects and stages, from Start-ups, to Closures, to Turnarounds.
JOY JOHNSTON
Independent Director
Joy is Governance Manager for UK Sport, working as a member of their Governance Team to ensure that UK Sport’s grant awards processed for NGB’s and system partners reflect their obligation to further develop world class standards of governance in sport. Joy recently spent 3 years working with the Sport and Recreation Alliance (formerly CCPR) to help support and improve governance and legal compliance within sports governing bodies across the UK. She gained an in-depth knowledge of the internal and external challenges faced by sports governing bodies and published numerous guidance documents on governance and leadership for sports bodies. Joy holds a BA Hons in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford and is currently studying for an LLM in Sports Law at De Montfort University, Leicester. In her spare time Joy is an international ice hockey referee and officiated at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
RICHARD BARKER
Independent Advisor
Richard is a huge advocate of community sport and has worked within the sports and leisure industry for nearly 15 years. Richard is currently the Director of Sports, Leisure & Wellbeing at Westminster City Council and he is head of service and member of the Council’s senior leadership team reporting to the Chief Executive. He has responsibility for the management of 40 staff and takes a lead role in the development and delivery of service strategy. Richard oversees development and implementation of a capital improvement programme and major new facility infrastructure projects including a new £60m regeneration programme. Richard also oversees the development and delivery of the Council’s 8 sports and leisure facilities including a 27 acre recreation ground, a 56 acre residential outdoor pursuits & environmental education centre as well as sports development, and PE and school sport.
Home Country Representatives
COLIN ‘BANE’ DEVENNY
Northern Ireland Representative
BANE is based in Northern Ireland and has been training Parkour for 10 years. He is among the first generation of Irish traceurs and has been involved in projects ranging from TV stunt-doubling to workshop coaching in Belfast. BANE enjoys imparting the message of safe Parkour training to all and dispelling the notion that it’s an extreme sport, but more a personal journey to slowly better one’s self both mentally and physically.
CHRIS KEIGHLEY
England Representative
Chris has been a prolific teacher of the discipline of parkour for several years now, and has taught all over the country and at every level from Primary Schools up to university students and professional athletes, and at the Parkour Generations Academy. Chris’ attitude and approach to instructing, coupled with his passion for communicating the art and bringing its benefits to everyone, make him a highly valued member of the Parkour UK community.
CHRIS GRANT
Scotland Representative
Chris Grant has been practicing Parkour for over 10 years and has been integral in the growth of the community in Glasgow and Scotland particularly by founding Glasgow Parkour 2004 and Glasgow Parkour Coaching in 2008. He is extremely passionate about bringing his knowledge to the wider community through grassroots teaching. Chris runs Glasgow Parkour Coaching full time and has been responsible for setting up numerous classes across schools, community groups, outdoor classes and events all over Scotland.
VACANT
Wales Representative
Parkour UK is currently seeking nominations for the position of Home Country Representative for Wales. Nominations can be emailed to [email protected]