Aida Cable, Shrina Shah and Denise Stephenson join the London Marathon Foundation Board of Trustees
Three new members have been appointed to the London Marathon Foundation (the Foundation) Board of Trustees. Aida Cable, Shrina Shah and Denise Stephenson have joined the Board, bringing with them a wealth of experience to support the effective governance and operation of the Foundation.
The Foundation is one of the UK’s major funders of projects that help children, young people, and marginalised communities to lead active and healthy lives. These new appointments continue an exciting period for the Foundation, which in 2024 announced it had reached a significant funding milestone of awarding £110 million to inspire activity since 1981.
The three new Trustees will increase the breadth of skills and diversity of the Foundation’s Board and will support the charity’s ambitions both to connect new groups and communities with its funding and to become a leading voice for change in the sport and physical activity for development sector.
Sir Rodney Walker, Chair of the London Marathon Foundation, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Aida, Shrina and Denise to the London Marathon Foundation’s Board. They bring a wealth of skills and experience that will help the Board ensure the Foundation continues to be an inclusive, impactful and innovative funder, creating opportunities for people who need the most help to be active, for many more years to come. I would like to thank Richard Henry, Robert Rigby and Clare Shepherd; three valued Trustees who have now completed their terms, for their contribution to the success and evolution of the Foundation over many years.”
About the London Marathon Foundation’s new Trustees
Aida Cable
Aida is the CEO of Thrive at Five. Previously she led the Royal Foundation’s early years work and managed its portfolio of mental health programmes. She moved into the voluntary and charity sector after a first career as a lawyer and was a Trustee of Family Action for ten years.
In 2024, Aida received the Award of Honorary Doctor of Letters by Staffordshire University in recognition of her exemplary devotion, drive and passion in developing Thrive at Five and her outstanding contributions to the health and wellbeing of society.
She said: “The London Marathon Foundation ensures the power of sport reaches thousands of individuals and into communities, particularly those that might, without the Foundation’s support, miss out. Through my love of running, both alone and with others, and through my work in and with other charities, I have seen the transformational effect that sport has on mental and physical health, educational attainment, social interaction, to name just a few of its benefits. It therefore brings me great pleasure to be joining the Board of the Foundation.”
Shrina Shah
Shrina Shah is a corporate lawyer with more than 17 years' experience in City law firms as well as industry. She most recently served as Group General Counsel and Company Secretary at the Pure Gym Group, prior to which she spent 10 years within the WPP Plc group working across agencies with a key focus on building global legal functions. She has extensive experience of working closely with Boards and industry leaders to provide strategic commercial legal solutions to drive business development and growth.
Shrina is also a trustee of Virgin Unite (the non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group) and a Board Advisor/Secretariat to BAFTA. Prior to that, she was Vice Chair of the Kiln Theatre and one of the early trustees of Soumik Datta Arts.
She said: “I am honoured to join the Board of the London Marathon Foundation and contribute to its mission of improving mental and physical health through sport and active living. The charity truly makes a far-reaching impact: not just through the diverse array of initiatives it funds but also in bringing people and communities in London together - which as a Londoner born and bred, I am especially proud to support.”
Denise Stephenson
Denise is an experienced and enthusiastic leader, consultant and advisor, who has supported industry on racial equity in sport and education. She has held various roles, including CEO of the charity she founded in 2011, ROK (Reach Out 2 Kids), which focuses on increasing access to employment opportunities for children and young people from ethnically diverse communities and those from low-income backgrounds. Denise is also the co-founder and director of Emancipated Run Crew CIC, a grassroots running organisation, which supports people from ethnically diverse communities into running, whilst advocating for racial equity across various pillars within the industry; and a board advisor to two major sports organisations. In a previous life she was a lawyer and partner of a mid-sized City law firm. Denise was appointed as a Trustee and member of the Grants Committee in January 2025.
She said: “I am honoured to join the Board of Trustees at the London Marathon Foundation, which plays a vital role in supporting charities, causes, and communities and to inspire activity for all. This aligns with my own values. As a runner of over 25 years and someone deeply involved with community groups, I understand the challenges black, brown, and marginalised communities face in securing funding, accessing support, and promoting diversity in sport. I look forward to using my experience as a charity leader and advocate for racial equity to help people from all backgrounds become more active, while learning more about this vital charity.”