Tom Burstow, the head of sport for Unicef UK, has been appointed as the deputy chief executive of sport development charity Sported.

Burstow will work alongside chief executive Chris Grant, leading on projects such as managing strategic external relationships and generating more income for the organisation.

Grant – who is also a Sport England board member – said Burstow had “unrivalled experience of building strategic partnerships and leveraging major sporting events” to raise funds and promote sport for social change.

“Sported is an organisation I’ve long admired for its amazing support of members using sport across the UK to deliver positive change for young people,” said Burstow. “I’m delighted to be taking up this important role at an exciting time in the organisation’s development and with such a great team in place.”

During his time at Unicef, Burstow led a team which generated millions of pounds through “high-profile sporting partnerships”.

In 2014, he oversaw Unicef’s Put Children First fundraising appeal during the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, raising more than £5m (US$6.2m, €5.9m).

He will now help Sported support is 3,000 community clubs and youth groups, which aim to tackle societal problems such as crime and drugs through sport.