22 Jan 2025
Leeds Rhinos Foundation announce four new trustees

Leeds Rhinos Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of four new members to its Board of Trustees.
The charity, who this year celebrates its 20th anniversary, began the recruitment process for new trustees last year, with the ambition to attract candidates that would bring the right mix of skills and experience to reflect the communities it serves.
The four new appointees bring experience from the business, education, charity and marketing sectors and will help Leeds Rhinos Foundation in its drive to achieve the vision set out in its ambition strategy that was launched in 2024.
The current board, which is chaired by Dr Mariana Pexton, has representatives from Leeds Rhinos and Leeds City Council as well as leading figures from the business community and legal profession. The new members will be a welcome addition, bringing a wealth of energy, enthusiasm and expertise. Together, they will collaborate with the charity’s staff and partners to continue the mission of changing lives through the power of sport.
Joining the board are: Steph Taylor who is the CEO of Leeds Community Foundation, Lucie Lakin who is the Principal of Carr Manor Community School and Chairs the North East Area Inclusion Partnership, Julian Pearce who is the Founder Director of Yasper Agency with over 15 years’ experience in marketing and communications and Siobhan Atkinson who has worked in sport for the last 20 years with roles at the Premier League, the RFL and a number of football clubs.
Chair of Leeds Rhinos Foundation, Dr. Mariana Pexton, who is also Director of Strategy and Resources for Leeds City Council, spoke about the appointments: “We’ve seen exciting growth in both breadth and depth of what we do to change lives through the power of sport, providing a wide range of activities for the very young to those much older. We take pride from being an inclusive organisation at the forefront of challenging boundaries.
“When appointing our new trustees, we were looking for those passionate and energetic about making a difference, whilst showing leadership experience and potential.
“Steph Taylor who is currently CEO of Leeds Community Foundation is a highly respected leader in our city. She has an incredible background working in the charity and third sector and is a huge advocate for effective work with young people. Steph brings a unique set of skills and experiences that will greatly assist our approach to income generation especially corporate and individual philanthropy.
“Lucie Lakin is Principal of Carr Manor Community School and Chairs the North East Area Inclusion Partnership. She is very highly regarded amongst her peer education leaders and she is a passionate believer in restorative practises and the important role that inclusive and collaborative leadership can play in enabling everyone to be the best they can be.
“Julian Pearce runs his own media and PR company in the heart of Leeds. Julian will bring a fresh perspective to how Leeds Rhinos Foundation can increase its profile and reach, with the aim to attract new partners and increased funding, allowing even more delivery of our vital services. Julian is also a Trustee at the amazing charity BARCA in Leeds.
“Siobhan Atkinson has worked within the Premier League, the RFL, the 2012 Olympics and ran the Huddersfield Town Foundation for five years. She is currently the Clerk to the Board of Northern school of Contemporary Dance and is a Trustee of West Riding FA. Her extensive Sport background will greatly assist in delivering our long-term ambition.
“I am confident that our new trustees will play a key role in helping us reach our next set of goals, each bringing their unique expertise and experiences to complement existing trustees, whilst crucially staying true to our core values: trust, enjoyment, progressiveness and inclusion.
“We are looking forward to delivering our ambitions in 2025 as we celebrate a significant and exciting milestone for everyone involved.”
Bob Bowman QPM, CEO of Leeds Rhinos Foundation added: “The number and quality of applications for our Trustee vacancies was outstanding and shortlisting was an extremely tough process. Everyone who was interviewed were people of exceptional quality and I am so proud that the organisation I lead attracted such wonderful people to apply.
“Steph, Lucy, Julian and Siobhan will be joining an already well established and highly effective Board of Trustees, they have already met with my extended leadership team and in that session the energy and enthusiasm was palpable with so many great ideas to take forward.
“I cannot think of a better way to start our twentieth-year celebrations than that of appointing four brilliant new trustees who will be instrumental in achieving our best foundation ambitions in the coming years!”