Scottish Squash announce Paul Macari as new Chief Executive Officer

Scottish Squash today announced Paul Macari as its new Chief Executive Officer following a comprehensive recruitment process which was supported by sportscotland and members of the Scottish Squash Limited (SSL) board.

Paul has extensive leadership, board and commercial experience and has operated at a senior management level in the sports and events industry over the course of a 30-year career. In his current role as Head of Operations & Commercial at Cricket Scotland, Paul is responsible for commercial revenue, partnership growth, domestic tournaments and delivery of all international and national cricket fixtures and events.

Alongside his paid roles, Paul holds several voluntary positions in sport, including being Chair of trustees for the Sporting Start charity in Edinburgh which provides opportunities for young people to take part in sport.

He has also been involved in the sport of squash for over 40 years and as well as continuing to play squash, Paul has been an active member of the SSL board since 2022, where he currently holds the position of President.

In his role as CEO, Paul will be responsible for providing strategic leadership to SSL, overseeing the management and governance of the organisation as well as ensuring the delivery of the sports strategy “Together for Squash in Scotland”.

Looking forward to starting his new role, Paul said: “I am delighted to be taking up the Chief Executive role at Scottish Squash and look forward to working closely with the regions, clubs, volunteers, partners and the SSL team.

“My first experience of squash was in primary 7 when the then Scottish national coach Robin Smeaton came to our school to offer a taster session. To this day I continue to enjoy the game, and I am still actively involved in the East league where I enjoy both the physical and social aspects of the sport. I want to ensure that others can enjoy the sport as much as I have, which means making our sport accessible to all communities and ensuring our clubs are fully supported.

“With the 2028 Olympics coming up, we will never have a better time to raise the profile of our sport, strengthen our clubs, grow the membership and support our players to perform on the international stage. I am clear that it is not the CEO, but the combined efforts of players, volunteers, officials, clubs, regions and the staff team that will allow us to achieve our ambitions.

“I look forward to working with our squash community and playing my part in ensuring our sport thrives in the future.”

Scottish Squash Board Director Tommy van Huuksloot added, “Scottish Squash is delighted to welcome Paul Macari to the key position of Chief Executive Officer, following an extensive recruitment process.

“Paul is not only a passionate advocate of our sport, but also brings a wealth of sports leadership experience to the role, which will contribute hugely to us achieving the ambitions set out in our strategy and capitalising on the profile opportunities of squash being included in the 2028 Olympic Games.”

Paul will begin his new role with Scottish Squash Limited in March 2025.