Let’s find out a little more about our final new member to the Board - Anand Narayanan.

Tell us why you wanted to join the Volleyball England Foundation Board?

“I've been passionate about sports from as far back as I can remember, and while I never made it as an elite athlete (didn't even come close!), sports have always been a huge part of my personal and professional life. When I'm not doing something with sports, I love stories and have written short stories, novellas (was published in a creative magazine in India way back when and wrote for GQ about Formula 1!) and am currently working on a novel. So, naturally I'm drawn to movies and books to feed my creativity.

I believe in the power of sport to bring about positive change in society. Volleyball being a sport that can be played indoor, outdoor and in many guises, I see a lot of potential for the VEF to grow from where it is today to make a real difference. If we also bring about World Peace, then that would be great too. “

 What about your professional background?

“Professionally, I'm a marketer, have always been a marketer. Worked for global businesses like Time Warner and Panasonic in-house setting the brand agenda. Have been part of the sport business in various guises as well since 2012. “

How are you going to support the Foundation going forward?

“Shaping programs to benefit individuals, groups and society as a whole is a combination of understanding where the Foundation can make a difference, how best to go about it, what the benefits will be and then executing it effectively. It's about who we're trying to help and how it makes a positive difference. While I haven't worked for a charity before (apart from volunteering my time), as a marketer who has worked in three different countries, in multiple industries on audiences ranging from 4yr old kids and cartoons to adults buying tech I bring a wide range of strategic and tactical skills to help conceptualise and realise the initiatives we will embark on.”

“The next 12 months will be an interesting time with us all coming out of lockdown and rediscovering the world outside the confines of our homes. With everyone looking to get out and get active, it's a great opportunity for VEF to work closely with Volleyball England as we do, to position Volleyball as an attractive option to get engaged in both for physical and mental health gains. Beyond that we'll have the Commonwealth Games in 2022, which is just over a year away now so making sure the Foundation can have programs or activities in place to leverage this as well to grow the profile of the Foundation and the sport of Volleyball in this time. Building brands and engaging audiences is what I do. So, that's what I plan to do!”

 Have you set yourself any goals this year?

“Talking of 12 month targets, as someone who absolutely hates running (it's a long story. I never really ran for fun, had an ACL injury in 2002 and have not run at all since), my target for the year is to run 500kms in 2021! Just because I don't run, so this seemed like a good idea at the beginning of the year. I've run 80kms so far as of March 23rd, so not bad. Run, Forrest, Run!

My other interests as well as Sports include movies, music, books. In that order. That about sums up my main interests.”

Great to have you on board Anand, and looking forward to working with you and reading your novel.