Paralympic gold medallist and BBC commentator Marc Woods has been named as chair of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA).

Woods, who is also an author and conference speaker, succeeds Andy Reed OBE, who is standing down after serving for one year as interim chair.

His appointment, which will last three years, comes after news in September that CIMSPA secured £1.2m in funding from Sport England to drive its workforce improvement project.

“I’m delighted to be appointed as CIMSPA chair at an exciting time for the chartered institute, following the recent investment by Sport England,” said Woods.

“I'd like to thank Andy Reed for all his hard work and look forward to building on the success achieved under the leadership of both CEO Tara Dillon and Andy.

“This includes creating a sustainable financial future for the organisation, strengthening its capabilities, delivering on the professional standards the sector has asked us for, and growing our membership.”

Woods, who won 12 medals swimming for Great Britain, already has experience at board-level with the Teenage Cancer Trust, Youth Sport Direct and the Youth Sport Trust.

As CIMSPA chair, his brief is to help shape UK policy and communicate the importance of a chartered professional body for the sport and physical activity sector.

Tara Dillon, CIMSPA CEO, added: “It’s vital we have an experienced chair in place to help drive forward our agenda.

“Marc brings a wealth of experience and skills to the institute and will help connect CIMSPA to policymakers at the highest level."