Trustees
Our Board of Trustees
Our Board of Trustees provide oversight and strategic direction. They are responsible for ensuring LUCA:
- Acts in line with its charitable objectives.
- Manages its resources responsibly.
- Operates legally and transparently.
Day-to-day delivery is led by LUCA’s Executive Committee and Organising Committees. Trustees act in a governance role, supporting and advising but not managing operations directly.
Our Trustees
James Findon (Chair)
James is the founder and Chair of LUCA. He is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at King’s College London, where his work focuses on neurodiverse adults, mental health, and brain-body interactions. He is deputy programme director of the Psychology BSc, deputy school education lead and a member of Academic Board.
Since establishing LUCA in 2015, James has overseen its growth into the leading university athletics federation in London and the South East. He now supports the strategic development of the organisation, working closely with the Executive Committee and member clubs to expand opportunities for all student athletes.
Dan Whymark
Dan is a leading women’s sport expert and highly experienced international sports professional with a track record of delivering large-scale, innovative global development projects which help organisations to grow their sports.
He has a background in sports development and high performance roles, encompassing 15 years of experience in high-profile international organisations including UEFA and Juventus, and has delivered projects for partners including Disney, Nike and elite European leagues and clubs.
He has designed and implemented multiple pan-continental projects in both grassroots/participation and the elite game, managing projects with a track-record of ensuring impact, high engagement, and data-driven analytics.
Dan is Founder and CEO of MIVA Sports, which provides expertise to major sports organisations through the development of strategies, project design and implementation, and stakeholder mentorship and support.
Beverly Christopher
Beverley has over 20 years of experience in the recruitment industry, bringing extensive leadership experience at Board level alongside strong operational and business management expertise. She has a proven track record in developing and enhancing operational infrastructures to drive efficiency, support growth, and deliver strategic objectives.
Alongside her commercial career, Beverley has been involved in athletics for more than 30 years – initially as an athlete and now as a coach – offering a unique, holistic perspective on the sport.
Michael Naylor
Born in Canada, Michael has enjoyed a lifetime in sport as an athlete, coach, official, researcher and board director. He is currently a Program Director at the Institute for Sport Business at Loughborough University London and prior to that was an Associate Professor with the Sport Performance Research Institute New Zealand at Auckland University of Technology. His PhD in Sport Marketing is from Florida State University.
Michael has held numerous Board roles including with the Sport Management Association of Australia as well as for croquet, football, squash and ice hockey organisations at national and regional level. His Board Director role and leadership of the National Sport Club Survey led to a Life Membership with the New Zealand Amateur Sport Association in 2024.
Michael’s research activity covers the breadth of the sport industry including community sport clubs, professional sport teams/leagues and athletes in areas such as marketing, leadership, governance, motivation, endorsement, integrity and climate sustainability.
Lloyd Emeka
Lloyd is a PhD researcher at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. His research explores the relationship between chronic pain, mental health, and social support in endurance athletes.
Lloyd worked in the advertising industry for over a decade before embarking on a career change in 2016. He brings a broad range of experiences from marketing communications, equity, diversity and inclusion, and sport psychology.
He combines his professional expertise with a passion for athletics. Lloyd regularly competes in distances from 1,500m to ultra-marathon, and is a UK Athletics qualified endurance running coach.
Lloyd currently sits on the Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee at St Mary’s University and is an editorial board member for a peer-reviewed journal. He was Chair for British Psychological Society London and Home Counties Branch from 2021 – 2023.
Mark Dayson
Dr. Mark Dayson MCSP Sport.D is a Chartered Physiotherapist with a long background in athletics as an athlete, coach and athletics development officer in Kent. Mark currently works as an Associate Professor in Physiotherapy at University of Greenwich, in private practice and as Head of Performance support for GB Maxibaskebtall.
Mark has significant experience leading in developmental and elite sport from U14 to M/F 60+ age groups and travelling to 14 European and World Basketball Championships combined. These experiences, coupled with medical team lead at a previous Commonwealth Games provides a good understanding of support structures and logistics in the competition arena.
Developmentally, Mark has previously been an assessor for the Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) in Athletics and Basketball, working with young athletes before they move onto university education.
Mark is looking forward to bringing his athletics, sport and leadership experience to LUCA which provides opportunities to help further strengthen LUCA in the near future.
Laurence Lundy
Laurence first began leading university athletics in 2023 when he was elected cross-country captain for Kent’s athletics society. This was a big year for the club at Kent, as it appeared at LUCA competitions for the first time as a full member, and saw significantly increased participation across both cross-country and track & field athletics. Laurence’s preferred event is cross-country, but he isn’t averse to middle distance track races either.
Having graduated from the University of Kent with a BSc in Economics in 2024, Laurence spent 10 months working in the Building Society sector before moving to the University of Bath, where he is now undertaking an MSc in Finance.
Jack Dickenson
Jack studied medicine at St George’s from 2016-22 where he co-founded the athletics club in his first year. He was heavily involved in running the club and over his time SGHAC grew to what is now the most successful UH club of the last decade, with a thriving social and educational side.
Whilst in London he also ran competitively for Tooting-based Herne Hill Harriers, preferring the mud of cross country with some occasional forays into track racing. He was also LUCA Editor-in-Chief for two years. He is now working as a doctor on the South Coast in his first year of anaesthetic
training, still fitting in running around Brighton & the South Downs.
Emily Moyes
Emily has competed in athletics and cross country since the age of 10 and is a Sport Science alumna of St Mary’s University. A former international athlete for Great Britain at both Under-20 and Under-23 levels and a two-time BUCS Outdoor Champion. Emily currently works in Community Engagement at Royal Holloway, University of London, with interests in elite sport and club development. Outside of running, she enjoys birdwatching at her favorite place, Arne in Dorset.
Mimi Corden-Lloyd
Mimi is an accomplished finance professional and elite athlete with a proven track record in leadership and sports governance. She currently serves as an Associate Director in the financial sector while competing nationally and internationally as a distance runner. Mimi has captained Belgrave Harriers for three years and now leads the club’s Partnership and Sponsorship initiatives as a committee member, forging strategic relationships with global brands including Nike, New Balance, Maurten, Hoka, and Tenzing.
Her experience spans athlete advocacy, brand collaboration, and creating opportunities that enhance accessibility and growth within athletics. Mimi is passionate about driving innovation and inclusivity in sport, leveraging her dual expertise in business and performance to deliver impact, bringing her unique perspective as both a high-performing athlete and a seasoned professional.
