Take ten with Rowland Omamor MCIMSPA – committee spotlight

We ask Rowland Omamor MCIMSPA, the newest member of the CIMSPA Audit and Probity Committee, ten questions about his work, the committee and its importance.

Over the coming months, we will be sharing a series of features that shed light on what the boards, committees and panels that govern CIMSPA do by talking directly to the valued members that steer them.

In each article of the series, we will talk to a member of one of the boards, committees and panels, asking them ten questions to find out more about each group’s essential work. In doing so, the members themselves will provide a true insight into the focus and importance of each division of CIMSPA’s governance.

We will also hear about the member’s own background, role and thoughts about the sport and physical activity sector, showcasing the fantastic individuals that come together to support CIMSPA.

First to share is Rowland Omamor MCIMSPA, who joined the Audit and Probity Committee in February of this year.

Why did you become a committee member?

CIMSPA is an organisation that I’ve always looked to as a guiding light for our sector. It sets the standards and helps us to be more professional. So when the opportunity arose, I couldn’t say no to it.

I want to be able to bring my 24-year leisure experience into the committee and add a different viewpoint. I want to support the way that CIMSPA’s work is shaped and designed to make sure it’s effective. Sometimes you can build a product and it’s not fit for purpose because operationally it doesn’t work, even though, on paper, it sounds like a great idea. So, having someone like me in the committee to help add that value I think is important.

How would you describe the work of the Audit and Probity Committee?

The committee’s role involves ensuring the integrity and accuracy of CIMSPA’s financial statements, overseeing risk-management strategies and evaluating the effectiveness of CIMSPA’s internal controls.

We work to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, maintain high ethical standards and oversee the external audit process. Our committee is crucial in upholding transparency, accountability and integrity within the organisation.

Why is the committee’s work important?

I think that there are some key objectives that CIMSPA is trying to deliver, and I want to be able to support them in doing that, making sure that the organisation itself is functioning as it should by providing that auditing function.

The work that CIMSPA does allows us working in the sector to be more professional, more qualified and educated, and I want to help steer that. It’s a very supportive organisation that is forward thinking, and I think if the sector were left to itself without having organisations like CIMSPA running smoothly, we wouldn’t be able to move at the pace we’re currently at, particularly when we’re moving further into the area of active wellbeing.

What is a highlight of the committee’s work since you joined?

It’s been a short time, but I think our work on risk management and being able to change the way we look at our risk appetite. The difference between operational risk and strategic risk, and seeing the way that they are being approached now, is quite exciting for me. I can’t wait to see to see where the end result will be, but it’s looking good.

It’s great that we’re able to begin to focus on strategic risks and allow the operations team to deal with the business-as-usual, day-to-day stuff. There is a risk that you get so engrossed in gathering and recording risk that you end up in a place of having hundreds of risk items in front of you when actually, you only need ten critical ones to focus on. You don’t want to end up with data paralysis where you have all this data coming at you that you don’t know what to do with.

Having that space to focus allows us to have an impact while the rest is more operational and business as usual.

Why is participating in the sport and physical activity sector important to you?

I’ve always believed that leisure, from a health and wellbeing perspective, should be a statutory service. I’m hoping that one day we’ll achieve that and get the government to see that actually, we play an important role in prevention. We can have an impact and reduce the pressure on the NHS. It’s all connected – if the workforce is active, then doesn’t that also help to grow the economy? I think it starts with health.

This sector has an impact everywhere, from programmes that we do with asylum seekers, people who have experienced domestic abuse and the underserved population within our each of our localities. We’re no longer just a leisure operator – we’re actually giving healthy life back to people. What did Covid teach us? Surely it taught us that we have to be a very physically healthy population.

So, for me, being in this sector is vital to play a part in raising awareness of the importance of physical activity.

What challenges do you see in the sector going forward?

I think the challenge is firstly that we’ve got to change. Leisure operators have to change their mindset and speak with one voice. Very early on, I knew when we set this company up in 2020 that everything had to shift – Covid-19 highlighted that.

I still run my company with a commercial head, but I ensure that it has a community heart, and that health and wellbeing is what we’re going to be delivering. That means no longer opening the doors, signing up members and that’s it. We need to go further into health and wellbeing, but this is a challenge financially.

So, secondly, we need funding. Everybody needs to think about how we can fund sport and physical activity experts to go out there and deliver for local people. I would like to go into communities to help – I want to do more. That includes creating programmes for people with no fixed abode and helping children with obesity by going into schools and delivering physical activity. There is a lot we can do in educating people – talking to people in diverse communities who might have hypertension or diabetes, finding out what they are doing, what they are eating and how are they cooking.

There is so much we can do – so much I want to do. But the challenge is how am I going to pay for it? Where is the funding?

What opportunities do you see in the future?

The opportunities are there for us to be able to go into communities and deliver.

I think that we should turn our leisure centres into sites where we can triage people. For example, you should be able to go into your local leisure centre and get your blood pressure checked, which would be difficult for you to get an appointment for with your GP.

Every leisure centre should be a community health hub where medical practitioners can deliver some of their work. To this end, we’ve just opened three therapy suites at our Hanworth leisure centre where people can go in to have physiotherapy, mental health support or to speak to someone about nutrition.

We need more of this type of facility. That’s where the opportunity is and how we can begin to change the model.

What would you say to someone thinking of becoming a CIMSPA committee member?

I would say don’t hesitate. CIMSPA is a very dynamic organisation. It is a very innovative organisation that is constantly striving to get this sector to be the best version of itself. So, jump in and help bring in skills. Let’s get this sector delivering even more than we have been so far.