BIS BOARD
BOARD MEMBERS
ALISON DOWLING
Chair
Allison Dowling joined the organisation as the Independent Chair of the Board in January 2025, bringing with her a wealth of experience in corporate affairs and strategic policy, including extensive work on brand development and the building of partnerships and communication strategies.
Alongside her career in senior leadership positions across a diverse range of industry sectors, she has spent more than 12 years in Non-Executive Director roles on Boards for both corporate and charitable organisations, with a proven record of achieving positive change.
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Having spent many years rink-side supporting her family’s involvement in ice sports, Allison has a strong understanding of the ice skating community and the immensely positive impact that sport has on so many. She is committed to working with Board colleagues to support the BIS Executive team in the delivery of our organisational ambitions, and to growing the legacy of ice skating in the UK.
ROBIN COUSINS M.B.E
Vice Chair & President
Robin Cousins has been an active member of BIS (NSA, NISA) for over 50 years and was National champion in Novice ’69 - Junior ’72 and senior ’76/77 – ’79/80. He competed internationally for eight years winning four bronze and two silver medals at European & World Championships, culminating in European gold & Olympic gold in 1980.
He won three World professional titles and has stayed on the ice ‘keeping his feet wet’ since then as a coach and mentor, choreographer and creative director for many ice shows. He also has a long-standing association with the BBC as their figure skating consultant and commentator.
Away from the ice, he has performed on stage as Munkustrap in ‘Cats’, Frank’n’Furter in ‘The Rocky Horror Show’, Teen Angel in ‘Grease’ and Billy Flynn in ‘Chicago’. He was awarded the MBE by Her Majesty the Queen in 1980 for services to the sport.
CHRIS BUCHANAN
Nominated Director: Figure - Synchro
I have been an active member of BIS for about 50 years and have been heavily involved in all aspects of the work of the association at all levels.
My time as a BIS member has also included time on the NISA Board as both a discipline representative, Finance Director as well as serving as a Technical Committee member for many years. I have provided support for the Performance Group as well as being a regular trainer and moderator at BIS seminars and our Coaches Congresses.
I am an ISU Referee, Controller and Judge for Ice Dance and Synchronized Skating and have officiated at many Olympic, World and European championships. I am also a very experienced moderator and examiner for the ISU for Coaches, Judges, Referees, Controllers and Specialists - having delivered training seminars and moderated examinations all over the world.
I also had the honour of being the ISU Synchronized Skating Technical Committee Chairman from 2010 to 2018.
From a business and organisational perspective, I have been working at Board level in major international financial organisations for over 40 years and bring a strong organisational, financial and business strategy experience. I have an MBA and am currently studying for my Doctorate.
Mary Chapman
Nominated Director: Singles & Pairs
My skating journey commenced when an older sibling took me ice skating to the Blackpool Ice Arena aged two and half.
During my skating career I have been fortunate to progress from competitor, to national official, then international and subsequently an ISU Championship Judge and ISU International Referee. I judge and referee extensively throughout the UK at BIS events and Open Competitions and I am currently the test organiser for Coventry.
I was a member of the NISA Singles and Pairs Technical Committee from 2011 to 2017.
Before joining the current BIS Board, I was Chair of the Singles and Pairs TAC for four years, overseeing the implementation of the cross-discipline skills framework which replaced the field moves and the new national free skating test structure.
Previously I was a foundation governor for a primary school and served three terms; 12 years of service in total.
I was appointed Chair of the Governing Body with responsibility for budget setting, performance management and safe-guarding. I also carried out risk assessments as part of my responsibility on the Health and Safety committee. Working closely with the local education authority and the Diocese on all matters, particularly the recruitment of a new Headteacher and other members of senior members of staff.
I have lived overseas in the Middle East, Egypt and Singapore. I worked in a refugee camp teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Singapore. My experience overseas and in Food Banks in the UK have exposed me to levels of extreme poverty and hardship. I believe these experiences have helped me develop an ability to listen to others and take on board different opinions inside and outside of a Board environment.
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I look forward to representing the BIS figure skating community – singles and pairs on the Board leveraging my extensive experience and passion for the sport.
THOMAS FELL
Nominated Director: Speed - Long Track
The Nominated Board Director for Long Track Speed Skating, Tom has been an active skater and coach in both inline and long track speed skating, heavily involved in the day to day running of British Long Track, using his background in sports and exercise science and coach education to aid development of grassroots at our training weekends in the Netherlands, through to working with national teams at various ISU events.
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Tom works in local authority leisure management with his main area of expertise being the management of health and safety.
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Having prior experience of board directorship, he aims to aid the promotion and development of ice skating in Britain.
ABIGAIL HUGHES
INED - Financial
Abigail brings to the board a wealth of professional finance experience from her 14 year career in international tax and accountancy across a range of industries. Having trained at the world's largest professional consulting firm, Abigail held a number of finance roles multinational groups before taking up her current position as Head of Global Business Taxes at a FTSE50 financial services company.
Abigail was a figure skater at national level, a local level judge and, more recently, has 5+ year’s experience as a British Ice Skating Level 2 coach.
Abigail was appointed to the board in February 2020 as Independent Non Executive Director - Finance, and as Chair of the Audit Committee. She has a particular focus on financial integrity, commercial insight and professional excellence. Abigail has an LLB (Hons) from the University of Strathclyde and is qualified chartered accountant and member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
LOIS JARVIS
INED - Legal
Lois combines professional expertise with sporting experience, holding the role of Director of Legal at another National Governing Body. Prior to this, Lois’ experience involved headed up the legal and football administration functions of a large UK club, working internationally as a sports consultant and working in private practice advising clients across a range of sports.
Lois was appointed to the Board of British Ice Skating in June 2019, as iNED - Legal, additionally holding positions on the Audit and Risk Committee and the Nominations Committee. She has a keen eye for detail in all matters compliance, and places great emphasis on the integrity of the sport being flawless, to earn both the trust of its members and stand up to external scrutiny.
Lois holds a Masters in sports law and practice from De Montfort University.
DAVID THOMSON
Co-opted Director
David Thomson graduated with a BA (Hons) in Combined Social Sciences (Politics, History, Economics and Business Management) from Durham University, and then joined Coopers & Lybrand, later to become PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), in 1996 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2000, working initially in the Audit Team before moving to the Project Finance Team.
David joined DC Thomson (DCT) in 2003 where he is currently a Director and Chair of the Trading Businesses. DCT is a private, family-run international media group that includes one of the leading publishing houses in the UK.
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As a Board member, David oversees activity across the DC Thomson Group. This comprises IT services provider brightsolid, premium gifting business Wild & Wolf, international digital genealogy business Findmypast, multimedia firm Stylist Media and publishers Puzzler Media Ltd. DCThomson Media produces a wide range of titles for both adults and children, ranging from The People’s Friend to The Beano, publishing more than 200 million comic books, magazines and newspapers every year. The company’s newspaper profile includes regional daily newspaper titles The Courier and The Press and Journal as well as the Sunday Post.
David is currently a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Directors for Design Dundee Limited, the company set up to build and develop V&A at Dundee, where he chairs the Finance & Risk Committee and recently chaired the Nominations Committee for the appointment of the new chair.
David also chairs Ice Dundee, which is working with Dundee’s world-class figure skaters and coaches. The organisation’s goal is to build a sustainable infrastructure for an elite figure skating academy in Dundee to develop Olympic medallists and to actively promote and increase participation in ice skating in Dundee and the surrounding area, especially for those who would not have easy access to the sport.
HEW WILLIAMS
Nominated Director: Short Track
Hew started skating from a young age, both figure skating and short track speed skating at Guildford Spectrum and the Aldwych speed club. He specialised into short track and went on to skate for GBR at the World University Games in 2011 before retiring from competing. He briefly assisted coaching at Nottingham and Aldwych clubs before starting officiating. Hew is now an international referee for Short Track and served a term on the Short Track Technical Advisory Commitee.
Hew works in Finance for a Technology Software company. He brings a decade of finance and commercial experience to the board.
ALISTAIR WILSON
Nominated Director: Ice Dance
Alistair Wilson is a National Dance & Synchro Judge and National Technical Controller for Dance.
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Previously he has been the BIS Technical Director from 2011 – 2017.
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Outside skating Alistair has been a Board Director of various companies for the past 40 years.
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He holds a Degree in Civil Engineering and a Diploma in Direct Marketing.