Following her appointment, she will join Senior Independent Trustee and CEO of Felix Project, Charlotte Hill OBE; Roger Davidson, Director of Engagement and Communications for Health System Transformation at the NHS and Robbie Drye, Head of Financial Planning and Analysis at London Marathon Group as Independent Trustees.

A Non-Executive Director, Cresswell has served on a number of boards both in the private and third sector, whilst running her own international HR consulting business and an enthusiastic Leicester City fan. She has extensive expertise in inclusive leadership, cultural sensitivity, strategy, behaviours, change and transformation.

Cresswell’s motivation for becoming an EFL Trust Board member stems from both personal experiences as a migrant from Uganda and her outstanding 25-year career including global senior HR roles within the highly regulated Financial Services sector, with a clear understanding of just how powerful football clubs can be within their fan bases and wider communities.

Discussing the appointment, she said: “I feel strongly about the opportunity for sharing best practice between private sector businesses and the charitable arm of the EFL within the football industry. I am excited to have the opportunity to be the bridge between these two diverse sectors and be a catalyst for change moving forward.

“I passionately believe that football has the platform and power to break down barriers and connect people from socially and culturally diverse backgrounds on a global scale. My ambition is to support organisations that are looking to build and foster a high-performance culture of equality, inclusion and belonging.”

Cresswell is currently serving as Chair and President of City Women Network and is passionate about developing talent and supporting women of colour. As an EFL Trust Independent Trustee, she will be focusing on safeguarding and leading on Trust policies that will focus on the people in our communities including giving them a voice, an opportunity to influence and a strong sense of belonging.

EFL Trust Chair, Liam Scully said: “I am delighted to welcome Uma to the Board of Trustees. She brings a vast amount of executive and non-executive experience to our group and we are confident that we will significantly benefit from this.

“Along with the re-election of Robbie Drye and Roger Davidson who are appointed for a second term, this puts our Board at full strength, and ideally positioned to meet the challenges that are immediately ahead of us.”