The Board of Table Tennis Ireland is delighted to announce that they have appointed and would like to welcome Chris Kitchen as the Interim Chair.
Kenneth Strong, TTI Director and former President on behalf of the Board said “It is great to welcome Chris to TTI, we feel that the timing is just right to bring someone in from outside the association who has a proven track record and can bring a different perspective to the organisation. We have an exciting sport that can and should be attractive to a much bigger part of society and we believe that Chris can help us set the foundations to achieve this.”
Chris joins us during a significant period of disruption to our sport due to the Pandemic and we hope that he will lead us through a Table Tennis “bounce back”. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of a healthy Ireland and, because it is so accessible to all, our sport can and should play a leading role in that. Chris will be leading on getting more people actively involved in the sport from participant to volunteer, capitalising on Table Tennis’s key benefits to mind body and soul and helping people to reach their own personal goals.
Chris will also be able to lead on the development and finalisation of our Strategic Plan which will be our road map for the next few years. Chris’s appointment also provides us with an opportunity to review the structure and develop TTI to become a professional, efficient and effective organisation for the benefit of our members and all our stakeholders.
Chris comes from both a sporting and business/commercial background having run successful companies but also being on the boards of European Federations and other National Governing Bodies. Over the years he has been a level 3 coach, a technical official, an event organiser, chair of selection panels and as a mentor/executive coach. Most recently he was the CEO of Triathlon Ireland where, supported by the Board, he was able to build a team that delivered significant growth and attracted partnerships with substantial sponsorship from a strong financial and governance foundation.
On his appointment Chris said “I am really looking forward to working with Table Tennis Ireland. Table Tennis is a sport that is easy for anyone to take up whatever their background and now that indoor sport is once again able to operate there is a huge opportunity to grow the sport in Ireland. I am keen to work with the Board, the Clubs, the members and all our stakeholders to see what we can do to maximise the impact of our sport. No matter what your fitness level, your age or your ability Table Tennis can provide an exciting way for you to get involved in sport I want to welcome as many as possible to our vibrant community.”