Joanna Cook - Performance Manager

Joanna Cook is a distinguished leader in elite sports performance, currently serving as the Performance Lead for British Handball and British Volleyball. In this role, she spearheads the UK Sport funds, driving performance progression for both handball and volleyball programmes. Her strategic vision focuses on professionalising operations, enhancing organisational efficiency, and expanding opportunities for these sports to thrive on the global stage. Additionally, she plays a critical role in overseeing safeguarding policies and procedures, ensuring a safe, inclusive, and athlete-centered environment across both sports.

With a career spanning multiple Olympic disciplines, Joanna has been instrumental in developing world-class athlete pathways and high-performance systems. At British Taekwondo, she played a pivotal role as Programme Manager, contributing to the creation of a centralized high-performance academy—a milestone that led to Great Britain’s first-ever Olympic taekwondo medal at the Beijing 2008 Games.

Her impact continued at British Swimming, where she managed the British Water Polo World Class Program, guiding elite teams through to the London 2012 Olympics. At British Fencing, as Head of Pathway Development, Joanna redefined talent identification and development structures, successfully securing a substantial increase in Sport England funding. Under her leadership, the pathway was restructured to nurture young fencers, providing them with the necessary resources and progression routes to reach the highest levels of competition.