Commonwealth champion and qualified solicitor brings experience across strategy, law, governance, leadership and elite sport to newly created executive role.
Eboni Usoro-Brown has joined SGS College as its first Chief Strategy Officer, bringing a career spanning law, strategy, governance, leadership and elite sport to the College Leadership Team as SGS moves into the delivery phase of its SGS 2031 strategy.
The newly created role will see Eboni lead the implementation of SGS 2031, working across the College to strengthen strategic planning, organisational performance, insight and accountability, while helping SGS anticipate and respond to changes in education, employment and the regional economy.
Eboni brings a distinctive breadth of experience to the role. She holds an LLB and Master’s in Commercial Law from the University of Bristol and qualified as a solicitor. She subsequently built a legal career advising senior leaders and organisations on complex commercial, professional risk, governance, cyber and regulatory matters.
Alongside her legal career, Eboni has held leadership roles across sport and governance and has extensive experience working with senior stakeholders, organisations and boards. She is currently President of England Netball and has also worked as a broadcaster and commentator.
Her 17-year international netball career saw her earn 117 England caps and compete at four Commonwealth Games. In 2018, she was part of the England team that made history on the Gold Coast by winning England’s first Commonwealth Games netball gold medal.
She has also served as a Trustee of the Coach Core Foundation, supporting its work using sport, education and employment to create opportunities for young people and help people overcome barriers to progression.
At SGS, that combination of experience will be applied to a College-wide role focused on turning strategy into delivery.
From strategy to delivery
SGS 2031 sets out the College’s long-term direction. Eboni’s role is to help translate that ambition into clear priorities, effective delivery and measurable impact.
She will work closely with the College Leadership Team and colleagues across SGS to strengthen strategic planning, organisational performance and the use of data, evidence and insight.
Her legal background brings experience of governance, risk, regulation and complex decision-making, while her leadership experience across sport and other sectors brings a strong focus on performance, accountability, preparation and continuous improvement.
The role will also have a significant external dimension, with Eboni working with employers, sector bodies, government, local authorities and regional partners to strengthen SGS’s contribution to skills, social mobility and economic growth.
David Withey, CEO and Principal of SGS College, said:
"SGS 2031 sets out a clear ambition for the College. The next phase is about turning that ambition into delivery; being clear about what we are trying to achieve, how we measure progress and how we know whether we are making a difference.
Eboni brings a rare combination of experience to SGS. She has built a career in law, worked across governance and leadership, operated at the highest level of elite sport and developed significant experience of working with senior stakeholders and organisations.
That breadth is extremely valuable to us. Her ability to understand complexity, ask the right questions, bring different perspectives together and maintain a clear focus on performance and outcomes will be important as we move into this next phase of SGS 2031.
She also brings a strong understanding of opportunity and progression, which aligns closely with what SGS is here to do.
I’m delighted to welcome Eboni to SGS and look forward to seeing the impact she will make across the College and beyond."
SGS operates across Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Stroud, bringing together skills provision, apprenticeships, adult education and specialist creative, sporting and academic pathways.
For Eboni, the breadth of the College and its role in supporting people at different stages of their lives is central to the attraction of the position.
Eboni Usoro-Brown said:
"Throughout my career, whether in law, elite sport, governance or leadership, I have seen the difference that clarity of purpose, strong people and the right environment can make.
That is what attracted me to SGS. There is a clear ambition through SGS 2031, and a huge amount of expertise, energy and opportunity across the organisation. My role is to help bring those things together and turn that ambition into delivery.
My legal career taught me the importance of understanding complexity, asking the right questions, managing risk and making sound decisions. Elite sport taught me about preparation, accountability, resilience and performance. Leadership and governance have given me a broader understanding of how organisations operate and how important it is to bring people with you.
I’m excited to bring all those experiences into one role.
What particularly interests me is the opportunity to work across the whole College; listening to students and colleagues, understanding what the data and evidence are telling us, working with employers and partners, and identifying where SGS can have the greatest impact.
There is already enormous strength across the College. The opportunity now is to build on that, sharpen our focus and make sure SGS 2031 is something people can see and feel through what we deliver.
For me, strategy only matters if it changes what an organisation does. My priority is to help make that happen."