Fiona Wilson is a Professor in the School of Medicine, and former Head of the Discipline of Physiotherapy. She has over 30 years of experience in clinical physiotherapy, teaching and research.

Her research focuses on examination and synthesis of epidemiology and biomechanics to create meaningful prevention and management strategies for injury and pain in sport. Her primary focus has been on athlete pain, and she led an international consensus statement on athlete back pain.

She also explores brain health and wellness in sport with a particular focus on current and retired rugby athletes. She also researches the female athlete experience from adolescence through their lifespan. She was lead physiotherapist for Rowing Ireland for 10 years and is a member of the World Rowing Sports Medicine Commission.

Fiona is a Deputy Editor with the British Journal of Sports Medicine and the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 

Zoe is an Associate Prof in Clinical Exercise Physiology & lead for the Physical Activity, Health & Rehabilitation Thematic Research Group and Clinical, Health and Rehabilitation research Team (CHaRT) within the School of Sport, Health and Exercise Science at the University of Portsmouth. Zoe is an honorary researcher at several NHS Trusts (Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust; University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust) and Registration Council for Clinical Physiologists (RCCP) Accredited Clinical Exercise Physiologist. 

Zoe competed internationally as an elite athlete (rugby union) and is passionate about the application of skills and knowledge from the field of sport and exercise science and elite sport to the clinical arena. Zoe is a member of the RPA Welfare Advisory Board, and Chair of the Women’s Welfare sub-committee. 

Dr Shakiba Moghadam is a chartered psychologist and a lecturer at Southampton Solent University with a specific focus on sport and exercise psychology, and community psychology.

Shakiba’s research predominantly focuses on mental health literacy and athlete mental health, experiences of women athletes in rugby, boxing, and martial arts, human rights violations in sports, and the experiences of marginalised communities. She is one of four leads on the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science’s SEPAR equality, diversity, and inclusivity workshops where much of her work focuses on providing training on cultural competence in practice for upcoming sport and exercise psychologists.

Shakiba is also the Chair of the British Psychological Society’s Human Rights Advisory Group and an appointed trustee for non-profit organisations that support displaced communities.

Dr Hayley Mills is a Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist (HCPC) and a Reader in Exercise Psychology at Canterbury Christ Church University where she is Director of the Perinatal Physical Activity Research Group and the MSc Applied Exercise and Health Science.

Hayley chaired the expert working group commissioned by the UK Chief Medical Officers (CMO) for the development of the Postpartum Physical Activity Guidelines and was subsequently a core member of the CMOs physical activity communications committee. Hayley is a trustee of the Active Pregnancy Foundation and holds a seat on the scientific advisory board of ukactive.

Hayley has authored a range of academic publications such as empirical studies, review articles, editorial pieces, plus industry infographics and guidelines. She has also contributed to the development of wide range of medical, industry and educational resources. Hayley continues to contribute to several large-scale partnership projects that seek to understand and normalise physical activity behaviour during the conception, pregnancy and post-partum periods.

Dr Marlize De Vivo is a qualified Biokineticist, Sports Rehabilitator, and Sport & Exercise Scientist with extensive experience spanning health and sports settings. During her PhD, she focused on understanding and predicting the physical activity behaviour of pregnant women, leading to the development of This Mum Moves, a national educational initiative to upskill workforces, supported by National Lottery and Sport England funding.

Since then, she's co-directed the Perinatal Physical Activity Research Group (PPARG) at Canterbury Christ Church University, generating insights into women's engagement in sports and physical activities during their childbearing years.  She has also been instrumental in the development of national physical activity guidelines, serving on the Expert Working Group for the Chief Medical Officers' guidelines.

As an academic, Marlize is currently based at the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University where she is the National Centre for Sport & Exercise Medicine (NCSEM) Programme Manager. Outside of this, her 'passion project' is The Active Pregnancy Foundation - a registered charity supporting women to stay active throughout pregnancy and beyond, by providing expertise and advice, changing culture, and challenging policy.

Sophie Power is a GB 24 hour ultrarunner and Founder of SheRACES.  She came to the world's attention when she was photographed breastfeeding her 3 month old baby midway through a 106 mile mountain ultramarathon, having been refused the opportunity to race the year after when fully fit.  Sophie has since successfully campaigned for pregnancy deferrals at major races, including London and Chicago marathons.  As Ambassador for the Active Pregnancy Foundation, she is passionate about advocating for mothers and made a documentary about returning to running - with a prolapse -  after her third pregnancy.  A "non-sporty" child, Sophie only started running aged 26 and only won her first GB vest after her third baby.  She was first Brit and 19th overall at the 24 hour World Championships in Taiwan at the end of 2023. 

In 2022, Sophie founded SheRACES, a non-profit organisation which advocates for women in mass participation events (running, cycling, multisport) around the world.  Using extensive research and insight, SheRACES has developed detailed guidelines for races to get more women on start lines, provide a better racing experience and equally value the female competition.  Prior to founding SheRACES, Sophie had a career in investment banking, private equity, as CFO of a global marketing agency and CEO of a clean-tech start-up.  She is also a Trustee of Women in Sport.

Joanna Wakefield-Scurr, also known as thebraprofessor.com, is a Professor of Biomechanics and the Founder and Director of the Research Group in Breast Health at the University of Portsmouth (port.ac.uk/breastresearch).  The Research Group is renowned for research on the biomechanics of the breast. The Group has been conducting fundamental and applied research into breast biomechanics since 2005 when it developed and published the first procedure to establish dynamic breast movement in three dimensions. During this time, the breast biomechanics of thousands of women have been assessed in a variety of conditions, contributing to a unique database of the forces acting through the breast tissue and the support requirements of the breast. Joanna is well known within the commercial sector, with research projects informing clincial practice and breast support design around the world. The Group’s initiatives include: an Educational Outreach programme to improve understanding of the importance of breast support and bra fitting in schoolgirls; understanding the prevalence, impact and severity of breast pain in military service women; understanding the relationship between breast density and breast biomechanics in clinical populations. More recently, Joanna and her team have worked with elite athlete groups, such as the Lionesses and England netball in the lead up to major championships, improving athlete breast and bra knowledge, reducing breast pain and providing performance benefits. 

Leanne is a Professor of Sport Management and Director of the Centre of Social Justice in Sport & Society, the first Centre of its kind within the UK, within the Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University in the UK. She is internationally recognised for her work in advancing gender equity in sports leadership and organisations. 

The focus of the research Leanne leads is on improving the coaching and leadership pathways for diverse social groups, principally, different groups of women. Leanne has led national and international research projects for sport governing bodies as well as acted as academic expert and consultant for sport councils, organisations, and charities. The research her team leads was recently assessed by Research England (REF audit, 2021) as having internationally leading research impact and awarded the highest grading for impact (4*). 

In addition, Leanne has written extensively for academic and practitioner textbooks, written educational resources for practitioners and organisations, and has published widely in academic journals on the topic of gender equity in sport organisations. 

Professor Stacey Pope is based in the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Durham University, UK. She is a world leader in the area of women, football and inequalities. She is a leading figure in research on women football fans. She has developed a new programme of work examining men’s responses to the increasing visibility of women in sport and issues of sexism and misogyny. She is also leading research on media coverage of the FIFA Women’ World Cup and fans of the England women’s team.

Professor Pope’s research has led to her contributing as an invited expert for various UK Government inquiries for Culture, Media and Sport and Women and Equalities select committees. She is also acknowledged as a contributor to the ‘Major Review of Women’s Football’. Professor Pope is committed to the public engagement of her work, with her research regularly featuring in the national and international media. 

Professor Pope will be discussing her experiences of lobbing government to create gender equality for women in football. She will discuss some of the key recommendations from her report: Women and Football Fandom: Reducing Sexism and Misogyny in Men’s Football and Expanding the Fanbase of Girls and Women. Many of these recommendations have been included in the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee Safety at Major Sporting Events Report. She will draw on her experiences of contributing to three select committees.

Dr Beth Clarkson works as a Senior Leadership & Workforce Development Programmes Manager at the Premier League and as a Visiting Senior Lecturer in Sport Management at the University of Portsmouth. 

Beth works at the intersection of academia, football, and policy, with a commitment to driving positive, lasting change. She is an academic researcher practitioner with ongoing research interests and impactful contributions in the fields of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in football leadership and management. Her award-winning research has been internationally recognised and plays a role in influencing women’s football policy. Beth has provided evidence on multiple occasions to the UK Government, most recently contributing to the Carney ‘Raising the Bar’ review of women’s football through her research on financial sustainability. Her expertise was further recognised when she was invited to the Houses of Parliament to serve as an expert witness for the DCMS Select Committee Inquiry into Women’s Sport based on her dedicated football research agenda alongside Prof. Stacey Pope, Prof. Hanya Pielichaty, and Dr. Raf Nicholson.

Beth combines her research work with practical application at the Premier League in the design, development, and delivery of leadership development programmes for current and aspiring off-field leaders at Premier League and EFL clubs.