Peter Emptage appointed as Chair of Badminton England
We are pleased to announce that Peter Emptage has now been elected as the new Chair of Badminton England.
Peter has been overseeing the role, following the sad passing of former Chair Mike Robinson, acting as Interim Chair since January.
After a robust recruitment process, the board nominations committee recommended that the board appoint Peter as Chair – a decision which was duly ratified by the board of directors.
Peter brings to the role a vast wealth of experience and badminton knowledge as well as a deep connection with the sport.
A World Senior, European Senior and All England Masters medallist, Peter boasts more than 40 years of experience as both a player and an administrator within the sport.
Alongside running his business as a chartered architect, Peter has sat on the Board of Directors at Badminton England since October 2020 and he also acts as an advisor for both the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and the BWF (Badminton World Federation) – two important and influential roles as we head into this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this summer.
In 2023, Peter was elected onto the Badminton Europe Board of Directors in Baku, Azerbaijan and has always committed himself to increasing participation at a national, continental and regional level.
He has also dedicated countless hours to voluntary work which has both developed and championed the sport, devoting time, effort, energy and expertise to the sport of badminton whilst offering his full unwavering support to the wider badminton community.
Peter said, “I vividly remember the sense of pride felt when I was selected to represent my county third team. I felt the same pride when I put on my England shirt for every one of our Masters circuit events. And pride is the sentiment that best describes how I feel about being elected as Chair of Badminton England.
“It is a real honour to be appointed to this role. Whether I am Chair, a board member, or simply an enthusiast of the sport…I want to see badminton thrive. At elite level, of course, but crucially I want badminton to be a sport for everyone, a sport anyone and everyone can play, a sport which the next generation can fall in love with, a sport people watch with excitement and enthusiasm, a sport people can play without any barriers in place.
“I also want the badminton community to feel a closer affinity to Badminton England, think of the sport’s national governing body as ‘we’ rather than ‘they’.
“We all want success for badminton. And during more than four months spent as Interim Chair, diving deeper into our organisation and the extraordinary advancements we are making as we collectively strive to meet the ambitious objectives set out in our ten-year strategy last September, I am hugely optimistic about the future of badminton in this country. I look forward to guiding, challenging and supporting those continued efforts as Chair.”
Chief Executive of Badminton England, Sue Storey, added, “It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with Peter as a board member, as Interim Chair since the start of the year and now as Chair of Badminton England.
“A devout badminton fan, a dedicated and passionate member of our board and a well-respected and trusted voice embedded in the badminton community, his commitment and support has been so beneficial to me and Badminton England as a whole. Together we form a strong mixed doubles pairing in collaboratively driving our sport forward and I am excited about the future of badminton in England with Peter in position.”
Badminton England would like to officially welcome Peter to the role of Chair and we look forward to working closely alongside him and the Board of Directors to further grow the profile of the sport and reinforce our commitment to making badminton a sport for everyone.
