About us

About us

The Sweaty Betty Foundation was launched in March 2021 with the support of our partner and funder Sweaty Betty, the activewear brand for women.

Our vision

is a world where every woman and girl is active, healthy and happy

Our mission

is to empower women and girls from every background to get active, and stay active – for life

Our values

In 2023, we revisited our values to ensure they stood true to what we stand for. Working closely with our Girls Panel and Trustees, our 3 new values were decided:

WOMEN AND GIRLS LEAD EVERYTHING WE DO 

WE ARE BOLD AND BREAK TABOOS

WE ARE INCLUSIVE WITH OUR PARTNERS, SUPPORTERS AND COMMUNITIES

Our current priorities

The Foundation’s focus for the first few years will be supporting girls aged 10–18 to try new activities at school, at home and in their communities, so that they can discover the ways they love to get active, and stay active, for life.

We will focus on girls who are the least active and who face the biggest barriers to being active, particularly those from lower income families and ethnically diverse communities, especially:

→ In the UK

those from Black and South Asian heritage backgrounds

Our geographic areas of focus will be specifically selected to ensure that we can work with girls from these backgrounds.

We recognise that there are other groups of girls who are also less likely to be active, including LGBTQ+ young people and girls with disabilities, and our work will support these groups too.

Our trustees and staff

Board

Like every charity, our voluntary Board of Trustees has the ultimate responsibility for setting and monitoring the strategy of the Foundation, ensuring it complies with the law, and ensuring the charity’s finances are well managed.

As you know we have been recruiting trustees for our Sweaty Betty Foundation both inside and outside of Sweaty Betty and are delighted to announce our full board of Trustees for the Sweaty Betty Foundation.

Coming from a variety of different backgrounds and bringing a wide range of skillsets, their role is to support the foundation in its mission to empower women and girls from every background to get active and stay active, for life.

We are delighted to have so many talented and passionate individuals as part of our board and a huge thanks to everyone who helped in their recruitment!

Staff

The Director of the Foundation is Afsana Lachaux. Afsana previously worked at the Prince’s Trust and has more than 20 years’ experience of senior roles in central and local government. She runs the Foundation on a day-to-day basis and oversees it’s long-term strategy.

Meet the Staff & Trustees

Afsana Lachaux - Director

Afsana Lachaux has been the director of the Sweaty Betty Foundation since October 2023. Before that, she worked for the Prince’s Trust and held a series of senior positions in the civil service and local government. She is passionate about participation in sports and physical fitness, and about empowering women and girls. She won the Emma Humphreys Memorial Prize for her work on ending violence against women and girls.

Tamara Hill-Norton - Chair of SBF

Tamara is the founder of Sweaty Betty and the Chair of the foundation. She has always been passionate about inspiring women to lead an active lifestyle. Now through the foundation, she is excited to empower teenage girls to get active, particularly those that have not had the opportunities to do so.

Chantel-Mariee Lewis - Trustee

Chan has worked on various campaigns, specialising in marketing, social media and public affairs. Chan is of Jamaican descent and was born and raised in Peckham, South London and is looking forward to supporting the foundation in making an impactful change to girls and young women.

Efe Odeka - Trustee

Efe is a Financial & Management Accountant working in the real estate sector. Prior to this, she worked as a Senior Audit Manager. Passionate about social change and health Efe is excited to be joining the foundation to support their mission.

Nicky Affleck - Trustee

Nicky Affleck is a trusted strategic partner and award-winning consultant with over 20 years of experience. She leads Affleck & Co., a Collective of women consultants delivering high-impact support in DE&I, social impact, and strategy. Committed to empowering women in sport and business, she champions positive change and inclusion.

Preeya Varsani - Trustee

Preeya is a social impact leader with extensive experience in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. Previously Head of Corporate Partnerships at Women for Women International, she is passionate about helping companies make the most of their social purpose and brings a deep commitment to empowering women and girls.

Kerry Williams - Trustee

Kerry is the Chief Marketing Officer for Sweaty Betty. She is a former England and GB international Hockey Player -gaining 96 caps and winning medals at the Women’s World Cup, Commonwealth Games and European Championships. She is a proud advocate, trustee and board member (Sweaty Betty Foundation and Badu Sports) for prominent organisations who champion ED&I, and use the transformative power of sport, community and purpose to positively change lives. Kerry attributes her career opportunities to her athlete mind set as being part of a sporting talent pathways from a young age. Commitment, consistency, and compassion are core qualities that she champions in all aspects of her life, but especially at her main role of being a mother.

Emma Atkins - Trustee

Em Atkins, is the Sport Director of Altair Management Consultancy, she has over 30 years experience in senior leadership across the sport and charity landscape, she loves supporting people to do great things for others. A sport mum & very active sports person herself she is passionate about supporting women and girls to find their vibe using the power of movement and excited to be supporting Sweaty Betty Foundation to do this.

Melissa Mullen - Trustee

Melissa is Sweaty Betty’s Global Brand President / CEO. Passionate about the power of people, Melissa’s on a mission to empower women through fitness and beyond. Melissa plays a key part in linking the foundation to Sweaty Betty.

Kainaat Siddiqi - Trustee

Kainaat Siddiqi has been an advocate for youth voice since the age of 13. Currently a second-year law student and a civil servant, she has dedicated her career to ensuring young people have a platform in decision-making spaces. Kainaat is particularly passionate about bringing youth perspectives to the boardroom and is excited to champion youth voice as a trustee for the Sweaty Betty Foundation. She believes that young people, regardless of their background or beliefs, can achieve their goals and make a difference. As a hijab-wearing Muslim, Kainaat chooses not to share a picture, affirming that this choice reflects her values and does not hinder her ability – or that of others with similar beliefs – to lead and succeed.

GIRLS PANEL

Girls’ voices are central to our work. That’s why we have a Girls Panel, made up of 6 girls aged 14-18 who come from our target cities. They provide invaluable feedback on our current and upcoming projects, help decide our strategic direction, choose new staff and trustees and can choose to support on specific projects like ‘Girls on the Pitch’. We pay all the girls for their time and they’re highly valued members of our team.

We recruit new girls to join the panel each year so if you’re interested in taking part, please email foundationsb@sweatybetty.com to find out more.

How you can help

Support our mission with a donation.

How you can help

Support our mission with a donation.