Former Wales international Bethan Lewis has been appointed to the board of Tennis Wales.
Lewis, who won national honours at both junior and senior level in the early 2000s, will join as a director next month and brings wide experience as both a player and a communications consultant.
A director of Brandrocker, a South Wales-based public relations company, Lewis will join the board in October as they seek to implement their new strategy to “open up” the sport in Wales.
Tennis Wales chief executive Simon Johnson said: “We were searching for a director to join our Board with extensive knowledge of marketing, communication and public relations to help bring our strategy to life.
“We identified the need to showcase our sport to more people across Wales to achieve our vision and wanted to recruit an expert.
“The Board, team and myself here at Tennis Wales are delighted to welcome Bethan to the organisation; her extensive CV, combined with her passion for tennis is going to be invaluable as we continue to open tennis up across Wales”.
NEWS🎾🏴| Welcome to Bethan Lewis who has been appointed as a Tennis Wales Director 👋 Bethan is the director of Brandrocker Limited, an experienced sports reporter, communications director and consultant for numerous organisations👋
Full release here 👉 https://t.co/o891Uel5mm pic.twitter.com/mLTV9klFwp
— @Tenniswales (@tenniswales) September 4, 2020
Tennis Wales launched their Tennis Opened Up strategy for 2020-2024 earlier this year aimed at increasing participation numbers, making the sport more accessible throughout Wales, and improving facilities.
The sport continues to recover after the lockdown imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic, with Tennis Wales reporting that 121,000 adults (aged 16+) played tennis at least once in Wales during the last year.
The new appointment joins a 12-person board – equally split between men and women – which is linked to two committees that represent the north and south of the country.
Lewis – who has worked as a communications director and consultant for numerous agencies and organisations in the last 10 years – said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the Tennis Wales board and playing a role in the new and exciting four-year vision.
“Tennis means a lot to me; I’ve competed and enjoyed the sport for over 25 years, and it continues to be a big part of my family’s life.
“I’m looking forward to giving back to the sport that has given me so many opportunities and enabled me to pursue a career that I love in PR. I hope to use my expertise and knowledge to support Tennis Wales in its new vision, particularly in the areas of innovation and visibility.”