Respected government health advisor Dame Carol Black has been announced as the latest member of ukactive’s new-look board.

Black, who is a regular advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron, has enjoyed a distinguished career in public health which has seen her excel in several high-profile positions. Having been both president of the Royal College of Physicians and chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, she will now assume the role of non-executive board director at ukactive.

“We are delighted to welcome Dame Carol Black to our board. Her experience in the world of health is unrivalled. It takes our board onto yet another higher plain," said ukactive executive director Steven Ward, who revealed the appointment during his closing speech at last week's Flame Conference.

"Both Baroness Grey-Thompson and I look forward to working with her to realise our mission of improving the health of the nation by getting more people, more active, more often.”

Ward added: “Dame Carol's new project, advising the Prime Minister on strategies to address long term conditions, shows that she has acute understanding of the role that active lifestyles can have in improving health and wellbeing. Her experience of working with employers is vast, having reformed the Department of Health’s entire strategy into promoting health at work.”

Black is the latest addition to an impressive new ukactive board comprising Ward in his role as executive director, crossbench Peer and chair Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Places for People CEO and ukactive treasurer CEO Sandra Dodd, and elected representatives of the ukactive membership in Matt Merrick (COO, Europe, Virgin Active), Mark Sesnan (CEO GLL), Dr Ewan Hamnett (Birmingham CEO) plus former CEO and chair of the Membership Council David Stalker. Two more non-executive directors are expected to be appointed in the near future, ahead of the first meeting of the new board in November 2015.

The newly-formed ukactive Membership Council, composition of which is due to be announced on 1 July 2015, will host its first meeting on 7 July with major announcements anticipated on the future strategy for the sector on skills and workforce development.