Pamela Cookey named as Chair
Fearless Women, the pioneering organisation driving change in women’s sport, has named former England Netball Captain Pamela Cookey as its first Independent Chair.
With its goal of a more inclusive sports industry, Fearless Women connects women across the sector, amplifies the voices of leaders and trailblazers and creates influential content.
Fearless Women, run by Sue Anstiss MBE and Kate Hannon, manages the Women’s Sport Collective, a free, inclusive community for all women working in sport. The network now has over 7,500 members from 91 countries.
The team also produce The Game Changers, a podcast that shares stories of trailblazing women in sport and explores key issues around equality. Season 17 of the podcast, which was shortlisted for an SJA Sports Journalist Award in 2024, will be released later this month.
The Women’s Sport Collective and The Game Changers are supported by Sport England, with a three-year National Lottery Award.
Commenting on Pamela’s appointment, Fearless Women CEO Sue Anstiss said: ‘We were overwhelmed by the incredible quality of women who applied to be our Chair, but Pamela was the stand-out candidate.
“There’s also a lovely synergy in the fact that Pamela was a guest on the first series of The Game Changers podcast and has also been a huge supporter of the Women’s Sport Collective as a founding member of our pilot group. Pamela has seen first-hand the impact of the work we do in sport, and we're incredibly excited to work with her moving forward.”
Pamela was the face of England Netball for 11 years, gaining 114 international caps and winning a record seven league titles. She is now a sports broadcaster, alongside her work with young people, as an Ambassador for the Mintridge Foundation.
Pamela Cookey "It is a real honour to be appointed the first independent Chair of Fearless Women. I have such admiration for Sue and Kate and what they have achieved to date through Fearless Women and various projects. There is a shared passion and drive to continue to positively impact women’s sport and women in sport so I’m over the moon to have this opportunity to work with them both to go even further.