Andy Reed, the Sports Think Tank director and former Loughborough MP, has been appointed as the first independent chair of the Sport and Play Construction Association (SAPCA).

Reed has replaced Eric Page, who spent six years on the SAPCA board, and his appointment has coincided with the organisation’s rebrand and its 20th anniversary.

While SAPCA receives no government funding – and therefore isn’t required to adhere to the government’s boardroom diversity targets – it wants to add more “skills-based” directors.

During his time in parliament, Reed spent three years within the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) before taking up a post at the Treasury, where he was instrumental in getting the government to agree to an extra £300m in funding for sport.

SAPCA chief executive Chris Trickey said the organisation was “refocusing and reinvigorating” its operations.

“The anniversary offers us a great opportunity to review and improve our offer to the sports and play construction sector, and Andy will be a big part of that,” he added.

Reed said he wanted to ensure SAPCA had a role in the government’s plan to “build an active nation”.

He also wants to help the government understand SAPCA’s “valuable contribution” to making that plan successful.

“Hopefully my understanding of the wider sport sector – including Sport England, CIMSPA, UK Sport and DCMS, and their strategies – and the way the government works will give me a unique opportunity to raise the profile of SAPCA,” added Reed.