Ms Emma Wiggs MBE PLY was a hugely active child and teenager who originally set her sights on a career in teaching. While taking a gap year in Australia, she contracted a virus that damaged her neurological system, leaving her with life-changing consequences overnight. Despite this, Emma never lost focus. She battled back, not only learning to live with her disability, but also gaining her teaching degree.

It was when she discovered Paralympic sport that the real Emma emerged. She decided to embrace her new life as a full-time athlete, focusing on making the parts of her that still worked the best they could possibly be. This journey took her to the 2012 Paralympic Games in Sitting Volleyball, before Paracanoe enabled her to reach her true potential. On her way to winning Paralympic gold at Rio 2016, Emma claimed world title after world title, and she has not stopped since.

Ms Wiggs went on to become a 3-time Paralympic Champion (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2021, Paris 2024) and 2-time silver medallist, and is now a 12-time Paracanoe World Champion (2013–present). She holds the current world’s fastest time in the VL2 class and is the first female to go sub-56 seconds in that category. Emma is the first and only paracanoe athlete to win gold at 3 successive Paralympic Games.

Emma’s passion for sharing the lessons of high-performance sport, and how to harness our mindset to change our lives, is palpable. Her enthusiasm, focus, and determination continue to push boundaries, defy limitations, and inspire everyone who comes into contact with her.

Now a Vitality Performance Champion, qualified teacher, keynote speaker, and executive coach, Ms Wiggs is determined to use her experience to engage with people, help them make positive changes, and support them in becoming happier and more successful.

Mr Nik Diaper is the Head of Paralympic Performance Support at the UK Sports Institute (UKSI). He has worked in the Paralympic high-performance system for 23 years and has attended 8 Paralympic Games in a variety of roles for ParalympicsGB, including Deputy Chef de Mission for the 2018 Winter and the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games. Nik’s previous roles include Head of Performance with the British Paralympic Association and Head of Para Sport for Loughborough University. Mr Diaper is also currently a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Boccia UK.

Mr David Clarke OBE PLY hails from Wigan in Northwest England and has lived in Harpenden with his wife and two sons since 1995. Based on a sound academic footing, David built a highly successful 24-year career in the banking sector. He holds a BA (Hons) in Social Sciences from Manchester Metropolitan University, a Masters in Diplomacy and International Relations from Lancaster University, and a BSc in Financial Services from the Chartered Institute of Bankers/UMIST, becoming an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in 1998. In 2013, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Sports Science by the University of Hertfordshire.

In parallel with his professional career, David became one of the most successful blind footballers. Over a 17-year international career, he represented Great Britain and England 144 times, scoring 128 goals. He competed in 8 European Championships, 5 World Championships, and 3 Paralympic Games, culminating in the London 2012 Games. He was a 5-time Golden Boot winner and a 5-time European silver medallist. In recognition of his impact on the sport, David was inducted into the National Football Museum Hall of Fame in 2013, the same year he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the England Football Awards and served as Guest of Honour at the FA Cup Final, where he presented the trophy to Wigan Athletic.

After holding several non-executive positions, David made a conscious decision to play an active role in the third sector. In July 2018, he joined the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) as Director of Services, where he was keenly focused on ensuring visually impaired people have access to information, advice, and to consumer and commercial services designed to remove barriers to inclusion. He was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in February 2022. In March 2023, David was appointed as the first disabled CEO of the British Paralympic Association. The role brings together his sporting, commercial and third sector skill sets, into what he describes as a truly dream position. David is now committed to leading best prepared teams to the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games while driving forward the social impact ambition of the organisation to create a better world for disabled people through sport.

In addition to his executive roles, Mr Clarke has served as a Director and Vice Chair of the British Paralympic Association from 2017 to 2023 and has been a member of the FA Council since 2017.

Dr Pippa Bennett is the Paralympic Chief Medical Officer, a role she combines with that of Director of Clinical Governance at the UK Sports Institute.

She has worked as a sports physician for over 20 years, having served as Chief Medical Officer for England Women’s Football, British Gymnastics, and British Equestrian, as well as working in professional sport as Team Doctor for Norwich City FC.

LA 2028 will be Dr Bennetts 3rd Paralympic Games. She has also been a Medical Officer for Team GB at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

Dr Anita Biswas has worked in elite sport for 30 years, including positions at the Olympic Medical Institute, the British Olympic Association Intensive Rehabilitation Unit, and the English Institute of Sport/UK Sports Institute. She worked at the English Institute of Sport/UK Sports Institute for 20 years, most recently as Head of Sports Medicine. Her work at UKSI included a strategic role responsible for optimising athlete health, and she co-led the world-leading Female Athlete Health and Performance Programme. In 2024, she stepped back from this role for family reasons. She currently holds roles as Team Doctor for the England Men’s Cricket Team, Chief Medical Officer for Hampshire County Cricket, and Team Doctor for Southampton Football Club.

Anita has attended 3 Summer and 1 Winter Paralympic Games, the Commonwealth Games, and the Olympic Games in both London and Rio, as well as numerous European and World Championships with a variety of sports, including cycling, rowing, sailing, and boccia. She has been a Tournament Doctor for men’s and women’s professional tennis tournaments for over 25 years and is the Player Medical Lead at Wimbledon.

Dr Biswas has held key roles as part of the 2012 Olympics Work Groups, the British Olympic Association Medical Steering Committee, the UK Sport Anti-Doping Work Group, and the BASEM Executive Committee. She is currently a member of the Medical Panel for the England and Wales Cricket Board, Chair of the Appraisal and Revalidation Committee for the FSEM, and a member of the Women’s Tennis Association Women’s Health Taskforce.