Bristol sports team appoint first ever chief executive
Basketball team Bristol Flyers has appointed its first ever chief executive.
Lisa Knights has been appointed to the role as the club prepares for its next stage of growth.
Knights has a wealth of experience in the sports media industry, spending over 15 years in international broadcast media as a sports presenter and journalist, including coverage of three Olympic Games and two Commonwealth Games.
Also, as a former international water polo player, Knights competed in the top-flight of domestic leagues in the Netherlands and Australia, endding her playing career winning a bronze medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Water Polo tournament representing England.
She took up the position of chief of communications for Bristol Sport in 2014 to develop a communications and media strategy for the group which has rugby, football and basketball teams.
The teams owned by Bristol Sport include Bristol City and Bristol Bears.
She has led the group’s communications team for the last decade, overseeing its digital transformation project during that time, with a focus on broadcast quality production and unique player-led content and distribution.
Knights has been a Bristol Flyers board member since 2018 and was appointed to the British Basketball League Board of Directors in November 2022.
She said: “It’s a real honour to be offered this role especially at such an important time in Flyers’ history.
“With the new campaign just underway, our first season playing in Europe, combined with the prospect of a new home at Ashton Gate, it is a tremendously exciting time for not just the club but basketball in the UK. There is huge opportunity for growth of the sport and the positive impact it has on our community.”
Bristol Sport Group chief executive Gavin Marshall said: “Lisa has been a tremendous advocate for Bristol Flyers and British basketball for a number of years and is the perfect person to lead the Flyers through this very exciting period.”