06 February 2025 
Bethany Hancock, CUBO Communications Officer
Phil Steele, Director of Sport and Commercial Services at the University of East Anglia, has been appointed as Chair of the new CUBO Sport Business Group.
The CUBO Sport Business Group was founded in response to demand from members for a special interest group focusing on the commercial side of HE Sport. Following two highly popular online round table events on the subject, Phil will lead the new special interest group, which will meet online quarterly.
“I’m honoured to take on the role of Chair for the new CUBO Sport Group,” said Phil Steele, Director of Sport & Commercial Services at UEA, “This is a fantastic opportunity to bring together colleagues who are committed to advancing the commercial potential of university sport. I hope to utilise my experience in commercial sport, leisure and health, together with recent wider commercial activities across an HE campus, to help build a greater understanding and appreciation for placing higher value on campus programmes that support physical and mental health, through sport and physical activities.”
The group is open to any CUBO members working or interested in the commercial side of HE Sport.
The next CUBO Sport Business Group meeting will take place on 03 March from 15.00 – 16.30. Click here to register.
Meet Phil
As Director of the Sport and Commercial Services Division for UEA, Phil has responsibility for the delivery of services and business outputs in the areas of sport & physical activity, accommodation (both student residences and an independent hotel service), catering, retail, and nursery services. Most recently he is leading a project to cultivate the use of academic assets and programmes that can have a commercial impact across campus.
The purpose of his role is to ensure that UEA has a diverse range of commercial services that will make the campus an attractive place to live, work and study, as well as offering excellent experiences for the local community in our role as an anchor institution in Norwich.
Prior to joining the UEA Phil’s experience came from the commercial leisure market where he held several national and regional roles supporting business development and operational management for large-scale leisure operators.
Please join us in welcoming Phil in his new role and we are excited to work with him in supporting our members working on the commercial side of HE Sports.
