The Secretary of State has appointed Mark McCafferty, Kevin Miles OBE, Justine Roberts CBE, Tara Warren and Dr Linda Yueh CBE as Non-Executive Directors to the Independent Football Regulator for a term of 5 years from 18 February 2026 to 17 February 2031.
Mark McCafferty
Mark McCafferty is the Chair of Warwickshire County Cricket Club and Chair of the England and Wales Cricket Boards Professional Game Committee. He has previously been a Non-Executive Director at Umbro plc and the Tote, and his current roles include Senior Independent Non-Executive Director at European Professional Club Rugby, a Board Director at ZigUp plc and a Trustee of the Wooden Spoon children's charity.
Mark has a background in international banking and finance with Midland Bank Group, including appointments in Europe and North America. From there, he moved into the travel industry as a Managing Director with Thomas Cook Group and in 1998 became CEO of Avis Europe, a listed company. In 2005, he was appointed CEO of Premiership Rugby, the League organisation for England's top clubs.
Kevin Miles OBE
Kevin Miles is the Chief Executive of the Football Supporters' Association (FSA) and has worked for the FSA and its predecessor organisations since 1998. He began as an international co-ordinator, and for over twenty years delivered the fans' embassy service in support of fans of the England national team at matches and tournaments around the world. Kevin was appointed Chief Executive in 2012 and from 2008 to 2024 was a member of the board of Football Supporters Europe, the pan-European representative supporters' organisation. He served as a member of the government's Expert Working Group on football supporter ownership and engagement from 2014 to 2016, and in 2021 was appointed as a panel member of the Fan-Led Review into Football Governance.
Kevin was a founder member, and for 19 years Chair, of the anti-racism education charity Show Racism the Red Card, and since 2019 has been a trustee of football's anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out. Kevin is also Chairman of Blyth Spartans AFC.
In June 2024 Kevin was awarded the OBE for his services to football.
Justine Roberts CBE
Justine Roberts CBE is the Founder and Executive Chair of Mumsnet, one of the UK's leading online communities, reaching around seven million monthly users. Mumsnet combines practical advice and peer support with influential public campaigns, including on children's use of social media, maternal health and miscarriage care.
In 2011, she launched Gransnet, a sister site for the original baby-boomer generation.
Alongside her executive career, Justine has held a number of senior board roles. She served as Senior Independent Director at Admiral Group and as a Non-Executive Director of the Open Data Institute and the English Football League.
She was appointed CBE in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to the economy.
Tara Warren
Tara Warren has 17 years' experience guiding transformation in elite sport, spanning commercial strategy, operations, governance, and regulatory compliance, while driving value growth. During her time as Executive Director at West Ham United, she played a key role in the Club's successful bid to occupy the former Olympic Stadium and the stadium transition that followed, overseeing a period of significant expansion and change. More recently, as the lead Executive for West Ham United Women she spearheaded the club's long-term development strategy.
Tara has served on numerous Premier League and Women's Super League Board subcommittees and was part of the CEO Working Group that advised on the formation of 'NewCo' to manage the top-flights of women's club football in England, now WSL football. She began her career at Morgan Stanley and has held senior commercial positions with organisations including IAACG and Savills.
Tara is a Non-Executive director at the British Horse Racing Authority, leading the development of industry strategy during a period of during a pivotal era of transformation for the sport.
Dr Linda Yueh CBE
Dr Linda Yueh CBE is an economist and lawyer, and an experienced Chair, board director and policy adviser. She is Chair of The Schiehallion Fund, a London Stock Exchange-listed investment company, a Non-Executive Director of FTSE 100 companies including Standard Chartered, and was Senior Independent Director of a FTSE 250 investment trust.
Dr Yueh is Chair-designate of The Royal Parks and serves on senior cross-government advisory bodies, including the English Law Promotion Panel and the Soft Power Council, which encompasses legal services, culture and sport. She was previously Adviser to the Board of Trade, a member of HM Treasury's Independent Review Panel for the statutory review of the Banking Act 2013, and Board Member of London Partners, including during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Dr Yueh was appointed CBE for services to economics.
Remuneration and Governance Code
Non-Executive Directors of the Independent Football Regulator are remunerated at £20,800 per annum for a time commitment of one day a week.
These appointments have been made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments . The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments .
Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Mark McCafferty, Kevin Miles OBE, Justine Roberts CBE, Tara Warren and Dr Linda Yueh CBE have not declared any significant political activity.
Notes
DCMS has around 400 regulated Public Appointment roles across 42 Public Bodies including Arts Council England, Theatres Trust, the National Gallery, UK Sport and the Gambling Commission. We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom.
