While many of our long-term supporters, fundraising partners, collaborators, and donors will be well-versed in the calibre and passion our board of trustees bring to The Atlas Foundation, we also recognise that it’s hugely important to put faces to names and share the stories that have brought us together with a shared drive to improve life outcomes for children around the world.
Many of our representatives naturally come from a sporting background. Others are inspired by their own work within the charitable field or have a background working in roles and organisations that focus on children’s education, health, welfare, and opportunity.
Here we’ll provide introductions for those new to The Atlas Foundation to explain who our trustees are, the skills and experiences that make them incredible advocates for our cause and shine a light on the ethics and missions that lead our work.
The Role of Charity Trustees and the Importance of Diverse Talents and Knowledge
Let’s begin with a quick recap to clarify what trustees do. We appreciate that the structure of a charitable organisation may not be obvious to anybody who hasn’t been closely involved in charitable endeavours in the past.
Perhaps the easiest way to illustrate what trustees do is to compare them to an independent management board overseeing a commercial company.
They work collaboratively to take responsibility for governance decisions, help with everything from strategy to policies, and check that every project or decision we make is consistent with our objectives.
For instance, a charity trustee oversees how our assets and resources are being used, provides input and experience from their own professional or personal life, and verifies that the Foundation is complying with every applicable rule and regulation.
This means that appointing a trustee isn’t something any charity takes lightly. Equally importantly, we look for trustees who add tangible value and who have a natural fit within our broader ecosystem—our board encompasses an enormously wide range of talented, dedicated individuals from every background and age group.
This array of expertise is vital as a charity working to effect direct, sustainable, real-world change for some of the most disadvantaged children globally.
Our Founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees: Jason Leonard, OBE
Jason Leonard is the well-known force behind The Atlas Foundation and a rugby legend, having played for England 114 times, at the time a world record. Jason was awarded an MBE in 2002 for services to sport and an OBE when the English team triumphed at the Rugby World Cup, going on to be inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2014—the same year he set his sights on launching the Foundation.
While now retired from professional sport, Jason retains the title of holding the highest individual test wins of any men’s England rugby player, with 89 matches and a remarkable 76% winning rate. He also played for both the Harlequins and Barbarians throughout his amateur and professional career.
Having acted as RFU President in 2015 and worked as a host for the Rugby World Cup in 2015, Jason’s rugby-related activities have continued alongside a busy and successful career as somebody who has long been a vocal and active advocate for charities, including his famous Annual Charity Dinner.
Since founding The Atlas Foundation in 2014, Jason has continued to serve as our Chairman, inspired by the severe poverty and deprivation he saw during his international rugby career. He decided to use this experience to develop his own foundation that would use the power of rugby to help children living in the most challenging environments to thrive.
Jason was awarded an MBE in 2002 for services to sport and an OBE when the English team triumphed at the Rugby World Cup, going on to be inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2014—the same year he set his sights on launching the Foundation.
Lord Addington: Peer in the House of Lords Since 1986
Our next trustee, the 6th Baron Addington, serves in the House of Lords and has done so for an astonishing 38 years, focused passionately on Sports, Defence and Disabilities.
Both the longest-serving Liberal Democrat in the House and captain of the Commons and Lords Rugby team, Dominic Hubbard has competed himself in two Parliamentary World Cups and remains a powerful voice within the Lords. He is a huge champion of the opportunity, inclusion, accessibility, and aspiration that sport can foster.
Fiona Stockley: NHS Children’s Mental Health Specialist
As General Manager of an outstanding-rated mental health service for children within the NHS East London Foundation Trust, Fiona also has a background in sport, education and policing, having volunteered with the Metropolitan Police and trained as a teacher.
Alongside her career in public service and children’s well-being, Fiona spent over a decade working in professional sports and events management and played for England and Wasps. Since retiring from rugby, Fiona has remained a volunteer coordinator within the women’s game.
Nick Bracken, OBE, DL: Former Metropolitan Police Commander
Having served within the Metropolitan Police for over 40 years, Nick was awarded an OBE for Services to Policing and worked on multiple high-profile cases at home and overseas during his long and respected career.
Today, he fulfils multiple roles within the world of rugby and development, including acting as Life Vice-President for British Police Rugby, and serving as an elected member of the RFU Council.
Neil Blair: Literary Agent
Neil has been part of our trustee board for nearly seven years, and alongside his work as an agent, Founding Partner of The Blair Partnership, and Chairman of Pottermore, the global publisher of the Harry Potter books, he is a key supporter of numerous important charitable causes.
In his work for the Foundation, Neil leads on the Israel co-existence programme, fostering peace, unity and friendship between Jewish, Arab and Druze children through the power of rugby.
Damian Bradbury: Wealth Management Professional
As Director of the SJP Charitable Foundation – among the largest successful workplace charities in the UK – Damian has also raised astonishing amounts for worthy causes, including personal projects and challenges to raise £30,000 for breast cancer charities.
Damian has built a 30-year career as an accomplished wealth manager responsible for multiple high-value investment funds, and has a sporting background that includes playing grassroots rugby and cricket for Windsor.
Ben Nicholson: Managing Partner, Asia Wotton & Kearney
In his professional life, Ben is recognised as an authority in multinational insurance. Behind the scenes, his charitable work is broad as the founder of The Nicholson Memorial Fund following the tragic loss of Anita, Alex and Annabel Nicholson during the 2019 Easter Sunday bombing in Colombo.
Partnering with The Atlas Foundation, Ben leads Atlas Asia, founded from his own Memorial Fund, and has pioneered a Mixed Ability Rugby youth programme in Singapore with colleague Rosie Chong. He has also coached and volunteered within youth rugby for over 13 years.
As an ardent fundraiser who regularly completes extreme endurance challenges, from long-distance canoe expeditions to ultra-marathons, Ben is a fantastic addition to our board and somebody we are thrilled to call one of our trustees.
Our website provides more details about our trustee board and other members of The Atlas Foundation, with bios, player histories, and background information to showcase the people, personalities, and stories that form our wonderful team.
