UKBJJA Elections 2021 Official Candidate List

UKBJJA Elections 2021 Official Candidate List

At the UKBJJA Annual General Meeting scheduled for 23 October 2021, we will be electing new members to our Board of Directors and Council, in accordance with our Constitution and Sport England Code of Sports Governance.

In addition to new Board members, we will also be electing a new Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, as the incumbents have reached their term limits.

The Association owes the retiring Board members a huge debt of gratitude. Without the hard work and selfless dedication of Richard Martin, Simon Hayes, Dave Coles, Pete Lavery and the founding Board members, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the UK would not be the success story that it has become.

We wish them all the best in their future endeavours and we are confident that the new Board and Council will continue to drive BJJ forward.

Voting is open to all clubs with a valis UKBJJA membership at the time of the election. Each club gets one vote. Ballots and voting information will be distributed soon.

Click on candidate names below for profiles.

 

Candidates for Chair

Jimmy Johnstone

Jimmy Johnstone

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My Name is Jimmy Johnstone, I have been voluntarily serving the UK BJJ community for over a decade in one capacity or another. I have been working with the UKBJJA for several years on the belt committee as well as youth development officer and military liaison. I am the head BJJ coach for the Royal Marines and warwolf BJJ. I have built a successful chain of academies in the south of England alongside my business as a building contractor. It gives me an enormous sense of pride to serve our community and I hope to serve for many years to come in any way I can.

Neil Williams

Neil Williams

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I have been a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since 2015 and have been involved in BJJ and combat sports for approximately 20 years. I own and manage my own non profit academy in South Wales and several affiliate clubs. Focusing on helping people from socially and economically deprived areas and ex servicemen and vets through our work with the ReOrg foundation charity. We also have a long relationship helping the children of the favela de cantaglo project in Brazil. 
 
I have an extensive financial sector, Project/Program management background, having worked in senior roles globally over a 20+ year period in locations such as China, USA, Central Eastern Europe and the UK. I currently work for the largest retail bank in the UK having worked on the biggest mergers, acquisions and migrarions in European banking history.  
 
I am an experienced JiuJitsu referee, having worked at some of the largest IBJJF rules based events in the UK & Ireland. I am currently a referee and judge at Polaris Professional, one of the leading submission only events in the world.  
 
I was previously the UKBJJA director for Wales, a position I held for 6 years. In my time as a board memeber for the association I created the framework for junior development in JiuJitsu across the UK, I set up and ran the most successful Junior development and kids competiton in the UK, the welsh kids BJJ league. Introduced training and courses for clubs and JiuJitsu practitioners from academies across the UK. I have been involved in the the sports accreditation process with Sport UK (England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales) since day one. I was responsible for gaining Welsh Sports association recognition for the UKBJJA which allowed Brazilian jiu-jitsu to have a voice at the table alongside major mainstream sports such as Welsh rugby, the football association of Wales, welsh Judo, Swim wales and many more.  
 
My goals for JiuJitsu in the UK:
 • Build on the great work of the current board and help gain full sports recognition for BJJ in the UK
 • Drive excellence in everything we do, from grass roots and junior development through to recreational participants to elite level athletes
 • To represent all clubs and members and ensure all have the support and guidance they need from a governing body when they need it
 • Increase participation of the sport and art of BJJ making JiuJitsu accessable to all in a safe and inclusive environment

Candidates for Secretary

Stuart Forrester

Stuart Forrester

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It’s been an eventful year, much has changed and BJJ is no different.  We have had to adapt, evolve and tweak how, when and where we train. The ‘why’ is the easy part, we do it for the love of BJJ! My aim is to be part of that vehicle.  To bring business experience and acumen, to bring empathy and more importantly create a safe space for development and discussion.

Over the last 18 months many of us have experienced impacts upon many aspects of our lives.  BJJ is no different, as styles, guards and techniques have evolved.  We have shown ourselves to be more resilient than we realise.  We’ve continued to learn both on and off the mats.  As we emerge from restrictions it is important we all continue to drive change and introduce policies to ensure we remain on an upward trajectory.

The key to this is you, the BJJ community. It is about getting ‘buy-in’ from you all, to raise the profile of the council.  This can be achieved through commitment from academies across the UK, signing up to structured mandates in order to take BJJ in the UK to the next level.  Upon doing we can begin to deliver the changes required to create and maintain the high standards we seek to provide.  This won’t happen overnight.  However, by taking small, incremental steps the Council, along with the recently acquired Sports England recognition, we can begin to pioneer a new era for BJJ in the UK.

Gret Zoeller

Gret Zoeller

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I wish to be considered for the role of secretary on the board of directors for the UKBJJA. I have been a black belt since June 2013 after successfully medalling at the Worlds and Europeans. I have been training BJJ since 2001, competing regularly and have worked to encourage other women into the sport. I also have a full-time job as a physics teacher and again find myself in a subject that is mainly male dominated where young women are starting to realise that a career in the field of physics is possible. I hope to be able to encourage this same mentality into the sport that has been a massive part of my life for 20 years. In terms of qualifications, I have completed the Gracie Barra instructor certification annually (get the GB jokes out of your system!), I am a qualified sports coach, have a BSc hons degree in science and have just completed a Masters in educational research which included projects around how BJJ can be used to support early career teachers by improving body confidence in the classroom. My research skills are something I hope to use for the benefit of the UKBJJA.  

With BJJ becoming a massive sport across the globe in the last 10 years I feel that it is time for the sport to be recognised by other sporting bodies and that the UKBJJA has a duty of care to the community it represents. It can achieve this by being a leading example of safeguarding across the country, supporting equality for all who wish to try the sport we are all so passionate about and by being professional, working with the various governing bodies for sport in this country. BJJ is a hobby for most but I hope that the UKBJJA can establish the sport we love as a true career path option for the talented young people we see coming up through the ranks. I hope that I can in some way support this growth.  

Candidate for Treasurer

Simon Ling

Simon Ling

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I am a Gracie Barra Black Belt under Professor Victor Estima. Since 2017 I have owned and operated my own Jiu Jitsu Academy, Gracie Barra Arnold, where I teach and train everyday. At the same time, I also help manage Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu UK & Ireland as well as GB Wear UK.

I have the financial skills and literacy required to successfully undertake my responsibilities in the role of treasurer. In addition to my Jiu Jitsu experience, I had a corporate career and was a consultant focused on strategy and planning, mergers and acquisitions, and finance. I managed major strategic projects, specialising in new business ventures and change programmes. I hold two masters’ degrees, the first in Systems Engineering and the second in Business Administration.

Vision for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the UK:

We are part of one of the fastest growing sports in the world, a sport that is taking over martial arts in the UK. It is paramount that the work the UKBJJA has been undertaking is continued, so that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can be recognised as a national sport across the UK and that the UKBJJA becomes the national governing body for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. My mission is to professionalise Jiu Jitsu whilst preserving the credibility of the art.

I believe in the Jiu Jitsu for everyone philosophy and the power of Jiu Jitsu as an effective form of self defence. I see the UKBJJA as an inclusive organisation that sets high standards of professionalism with no space for discrimination of any kind. We need to ensure our academies are a safe place to train for people of all backgrounds, gender and age and with zero tolerance policies in place to combat harassment and discrimination in any form. We also need to continue to foster a positive relationship with our local communities providing self defence and anti bullying programmes.

In the role of Treasurer, I would drive to develop and finance programmes to support this vision working in partnership with Jiu Jitsu schools, government organisations, and sponsors to maximise the positive impact of Jiu Jitsu across our local communities across the UK.

Candidates for Regional Director, England

Jimmy Johnstone

Jimmy Johnstone

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My Name is Jimmy Johnstone, I have been voluntarily serving the UK BJJ community for over a decade in one capacity or another. I have been working with the UKBJJA for several years on the belt committee as well as youth development officer and military liaison. I am the head BJJ coach for the Royal Marines and warwolf BJJ. I have built a successful chain of academies in the south of England alongside my business as a building contractor. It gives me an enormous sense of pride to serve our community and I hope to serve for many years to come in any way I can.

Daniel Strauss

Daniel Strauss

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I have trained Brazilian jiu jitsu for 15 years and have over that time being heavily involved in many aspects of the sport. As a competitor both nationally and internationally, a coach, a competition organiser and a general promoter of BJJ through both my social media channels and podcast. Jiu Jitsu is the central focus of my life and I consider my personal mission to help promote and spread jiu jitsu both nationally and internationally.
 
My vision for the future of UK BJJ is to increase the number of participants involved in the sport, bring the sport into a more mainstream light, make sure all tournaments are run to a high standard and are consistent in providing good experiences to competitors, increase the general professionalism within all clubs and assure the safety and satisfaction of all that train.
 
As far as I can tell the UKBJJA is at the forefront of promoting UK BJJ to elevated levels of professionalism and as such I would like to be involved to assist in them doing so.

Candidate for Regional Director, Scotland

James McIntyre

James McIntyre

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Candidate for Regional Director, Northern Ireland

Robert Cullinan

Robert Cullinan

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Candidate for Principal Council Officer

Simon Hayes

Simon Hayes

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Candidates for Chair of Women’s Committee

Note: this is a Council position.

Jolie Boyle

Jolie Boyle

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Gemma Kane

Gemma Kane

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I have been an active member of the BJJ community, an active competitor and an advocate for women’s BJJ for a number of years now. Jiujitsu has been a profound influence on my own life and through my own positive experiences, I have wanted to share BJJ with others and bring this positive experience to them.

So, I set up a resource for women’s BJJ. Using my experience and connections I have voluntarily set up and self-funded a resource for women’s BJJ which aims to provide information and a route into the sport – BJJ Girls https://bjjgirls.co.uk/. Through this resource I have successfully collaborated with a number of UK gyms running seminars and open mats for free, encouraging women to try BJJ and encouraging existing practitioners to come together as a community.

I have also set up a schools programme and established relationships with local sports councils. Working with my coach and the gym that I train out of we successfully set up and ran a schools programme with local sixth formers as well as creating and nurturing relationships with Kent Sport, a subsidiary of Sport England.

All this experience has taught me the value of what I and BJJ can bring to individuals and I believe that with a collective effort of multiple expertise we can bring more value to women in BJJ. As Chair of the Women’s Committee, my aim would be to gather and lead these female voices within the UKBJJA. My goals would be to nurture and encourage female participation from all ages, across all levels within the sport and all backgrounds. By working collaboratively with the other UKBJJA committee members with a vested interest in female participation, from schools programmes to our D&I council and across our emergency services and armed forces councils too we can make BJJ a welcoming and inclusive environment for all.

When the women’s council was first established I voluntarily gave my services as an unofficial member of the women’s committee, supporting the chair with events, marketing and driving the women committee under the UKBJJA for the benefit of members and ultimately all BJJ women in the UK. If I am chair of the women’s committee it would be an honour to take on that challenge in an official capacity during what I feel is going to be a very exciting time for BJJ in the UK.

Denice Webb

Denice Webb

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I have been training and competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for seven years; competing in various IBJJF and UKBJJA competitions as well as the annual Armed Forces Inter-services & Veterans Championships. In 2020 I won double silver (in my weight category and the absolute) at the European Championships. As a recently qualified coach under the BJJA, I’m aiming to encourage, support and champion women’s BJJ in both the Armed Forces and with civilians in a more professionalised manner.

My friends and I have been organising and networking as women BJJ athletes for years however, we are now bridging into a more formal, growing platform to celebrate and showcase the sport from a woman’s perspective. I would relish the opportunity to be in the UKBJJA Committee and apply my inclusion and leadership skills in BJJ.

Next year, I will Commission into the RAF as a Personnel Support Officer, and I’m very keen on coaching and leading teams to compete in more UKBJJA competitions. As Co-Chair of the MOD BAME Women’s Network, I’m encouraging women from diverse backgrounds to start their BJJ journey and show that it really is an inclusive sport for everyone to train and/ or compete.

I think it would be a brilliant opportunity for us to interlink and reach out to women grapplers from the BAME, LGBTQ and Armed Forces communities. BJJ is an excellent way to build bridges and strengthen relationships by including people on the mats. I’ve made jiu jitsu sisters amongst many different gyms, it would be an honour to share this with more people.

Candidates for Council:

Jolie Boyle
Standing for: Council, Chair of Women’s Committee

 

Simon Hayes
Standing for: Council, Principal Council Officer

 

Lee Johnstone
Standing for: Council
Omied Khakshour
Standing for: Council, Junior Development Officer Wales
Peter Lavery
Standing for: Council
Leigh Remedios
Standing for: Council
Roger Spillere
Standing for: Council
Mark Tucker
Standing for: Council
Raphael Dos Santos
Standing for: Council
Stuart Henderson
Standing for: Council, Junior Development Officer Scotland
Gemma Kane
Standing for: Council, Chair of Women’s Committee
Steve Ladley
Standing for: Council
Becca Millar
Standing for: Council, Junior Development Officer Northern Ireland
Nisar Shaikh
Standing for: Council
Michelle Sum
Standing for: Council
Alex Veitch
Standing for: Council
Denice Webb
Standing for: Council, Chair of Women’s Committee

I have been training and competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for seven years; competing in various IBJJF and UKBJJA competitions as well as the annual Armed Forces Inter-services & Veterans Championships. In 2020 I won double silver (in my weight category and the absolute) at the European Championships. As a recently qualified coach under the BJJA, I’m aiming to encourage, support and champion women’s BJJ in both the Armed Forces and with civilians in a more professionalised manner.

My friends and I have been organising and networking as women BJJ athletes for years however, we are now bridging into a more formal, growing platform to celebrate and showcase the sport from a woman’s perspective. I would relish the opportunity to be in the UKBJJA Committee and apply my inclusion and leadership skills in BJJ.

Next year, I will Commission into the RAF as a Personnel Support Officer, and I’m very keen on coaching and leading teams to compete in more UKBJJA competitions. As Co-Chair of the MOD BAME Women’s Network, I’m encouraging women from diverse backgrounds to start their BJJ journey and show that it really is an inclusive sport for everyone to train and/ or compete.

I think it would be a brilliant opportunity for us to interlink and reach out to women grapplers from the BAME, LGBTQ and Armed Forces communities. BJJ is an excellent way to build bridges and strengthen relationships by including people on the mats. I’ve made jiu jitsu sisters amongst many different gyms, it would be an honour to share this with more people.