Michael Cavanagh OBE nominated to stand for World Bowls President

Michael Cavanagh has been nominated by Bowls Scotland to stand for president of World Bowls.

The former chair of Commonwealth Games Scotland has an excellent record in strategic development, management and leadership across regional, national and international levels of sport, most notably at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Member nations of World Bowls, the international federation for the sport of bowls, will vote for the next president, who will be in place until 2020. Anyone nominated as a director of World Bowls has to be a member of a club but cannot be a current director or staff member of a national governing body. The successful candidate will be named in April.

Michael, a member at West Kilbride BC, is the current interim principal of the National Training Centre, Inverclyde, having previously held the post of sports development lead manager at Scotland’s national agency for sport, sportscotland.

A former Commonwealth Games and international wrestler, Michael has worked with Bowls Scotland to support strategic direction for the past three years. He was fortunate enough in his busy schedule as chair of Commonwealth Games in 2014 to see Darren Burnett lift his singles gold on the greens at Kelvingrove, Glasgow.

As Commonwealth Games Scotland chair, Michael led the organisation through their contribution to the Glasgow Games, where Team Scotland had their most successful Commonwealth Games. He initiated and implemented the modernisation and improvement of CGS’s governance in his eight-year period as chair.

Bowls Scotland chair Sue Beatt said of the nomination: “Having worked with Michael on Bowls Scotland’s strategy and vision for the future of the game, we were hugely impressed by his leadership skills, his ability to get the best out of people, his drive and enthusiasm, his knowledge of strategic planning and his ability to connect with people at any level. We are positive that he is the ideal person to take our great sport forward into the modern age and maximise the resources available.”