Brigid Simmons becomes chief executive of British Beer & Pub Association

The British Beer & Pub Association has appointed Brigid Simmonds to be its new chief executive.

Simmonds took up her new role on 7 September, following her recent move from chief executive of Business In Sport and Leisure, which represents over 100 private sector commercial companies in the sports and leisure industry - a post she had held since 1992.

Simmonds is also currently chair of the Central Council of Physical Recreation, the alliance of governing and representative bodies of sport and recreation in the UK. She became chair in July 2005 and was elected to serve a further three-year term in 2008. She is also a past chairman of the Tourism Alliance, which represents 46 different trade organisations and 200,000 businesses, a post she held from January 2005 to July 2006.

She has completed a six-year term on the main board of Sport England, where she was chairman of Phoenix Sport in Sheffield and Caversham Lakes Trust, as well as a former chair of the Sport England Lottery Awards Panel.

She was previously a non-executive director of Leicester City Football Club. She was awarded an OBE for services to sport in the Queen's Birthday Honours list of June 2006.