Member Article

Partner appointed co-head of sports law team and wins scholarship to study strategic leadership in sport

Nicola Wilburn-Shaw, partner in one of the UK’s leading matrimonial law teams who, from their offices in Manchester, Liverpool and London, work extensively with high profile sporting stars, has been awarded a scholarship to study strategic leadership in sport, and made co-head of the JMW Sports Law team.

Nicola will attend the Visionary Sports Investment Executive Education (VSI) institution on a scholarship funded by Siobhan Chamberlain, the former England, Manchester United and Chelsea footballer and an alumnus of VSI herself. The scholarship awarded to Nicola is one of only two, those scholarships specifically reserved for women. Other illustrious VSI alumni include Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington, Leicester and Jamaica defender Wes Morgan and Paul O’Brian, Commercial Director at Watford Football Club.

Tony Faulkner, co-founder, neuroscientist and sporting director of VSI (pictured, left) said: ’A key aim of our CEO of a Sports Organisation programme is to provide a pathway for more women to move into strategic leadership roles within the global sporting industry.

‘VSI and Siobhan Chamberlain are delighted to be able to offer Nicola the scholarship for the programme: she is highly regarded in her field of family law and she works extensively with high profile sports people, particularly footballers, which makes her perfect for our programme.’

Nicola added: ’There is a huge level of under-representation of women in elite sports and despite numerous initiatives this situation has not changed. This scholarship and programme of study will help me in my drive to achieve better representation for women at board level in the world of sport.

‘I can’t wait to see where this new chapter takes us.’

Stephen Taylor Heath, co-head of JMW Sports Law Group, said: ‘Nicola is a specialist in advising sports people in matrimonial matters and is a leading voice in the “Women in Sport” movement. I am delighted she agreed to be co-head of the JMW Sports Law Group. The future is bright.’

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Gill Alexander .