Plas y Brenin and the Board of the Mountain Training Trust (MTT) are pleased to announce the appointment of Ruth Hall as Chief Executive Officer. Ruth succeeds Jackie Bryson, who steps down from the role after 4 years, during which the organisation has developed and deployed a robust long-term strategy, strengthened its business practices and secured increased investment into the Plas y Brenin site.
Plas y Brenin, managed by MTT on behalf of Sport England, is globally recognised as one of the foremost providers of outdoor and adventure sport instruction. Courses and experiences are delivered by a team that includes some of the world’s most dedicated outdoor professionals and are conducted both at the iconic Plas y Brenin centre – the home of adventure sports in the heart of Snowdonia – and in some of the most challenging locations around the globe.
Ruth is a highly experienced and successful business leader, with a background in both not-for-profit and venture-backed organisations, across the education, conservation, and technology sectors. Her success in brand and digital transformation, customer experience, revenue generation, and supporter engagement, make Ruth an ideal fit to lead and steward MTT and Plas y Brenin in their next phase of development.
Commenting on her new role, Ruth said:
“Plas y Brenin is an important mainstay of the UK’s outdoor sector, and a critical part of the international outdoor training community. MTT is a fantastic organisation, with a pool of hugely talented, passionate and dedicated staff. I am really excited, and proud, to have the opportunity to work with the team and lead them in the next stage of their incredible journey.”
Ruth added: “Plas y Brenin’s primary focus is on skills, qualifications, and excellence in instruction. As a National Outdoor Centre, we develop the people that develop the outdoor sector. In addition to training the outdoor leaders of tomorrow, Plas y Brenin and the Mountain Training Trust are also driven by a core purpose of encouraging more people to get into the outdoors.
Growing up in the North West, my family have a strong personal interest in adventure sports with a deep love of the outdoors and Snowdonia in particular; spending a great deal of time when I was younger hiking in Snowdonia and enjoying water sports off the coast of Anglesey. The region is incredibly special to my family and I, which makes the role and core purpose of MTT even more important.
There is renewed focus on the importance of organisations like ours, and the vital role we play in supporting individuals to become and remain active. I look forward to meeting customers at our inspirational centre, welcoming them to experiences here in the UK, as well as internationally, and to collaborating with organisations throughout the sector and local community to fulfil our purpose.”
Sara Mogel, Chair, Mountain Training Trust said:
“After a thorough search process we are delighted that Ruth has joined as our new Chief Executive. Ruth’s wealth of senior experience across operations, sales, marketing and campaigning, coupled with a passion for the benefits of the outdoors, proved to our Board that she is the perfect person to drive our next phase of growth and development. I look forward to working with Ruth to continue to grow our instructional delivery, maximise the usage of our world-class location and ultimately help get more people active outdoors.”
Charles Johnston, Senior Sport England representative said:
“I would thank Jackie for her significant and selfless contribution over the past four years in leading and developing the organisation. Sport England is looking forward to working with and supporting both Ruth and MTT to ensure Plas y Brenin continues to play a key role in the ever-changing market within which it operates”.
