Blane had a wealth of success as CEO of North Lanarkshire Leisure, a major community and sport focused organisation, where he served as a highly successful and effective Chief Executive for ten years. Key achievements within the post were the impact of customer numbers more than doubling and turnover increasing from £12m to £26m per annum. The backbone for this growth were the development of quality world class facilities, access arrangements and programmes that were developed during Blane’s term of office and via extensive partnerships with key stakeholders. Blane also more recently was CEO for Scottish Golf, the governing body for golf in Scotland, where he worked with the Board to develop a new ambitious strategic direction for golf for Scotland.
As CEO of Tennis Scotland, Blane is developing the Strategic Plan for tennis implementation at every level. The main objectives are to increase participation and grow the sport’s profile and performance by the development of the game across all ages and abilities, thus ensuring the sport and clubs thrive for years to come. Maintaining and developing key strategic partnerships and strengthening links within the wider Tennis community both in Scotland and on the worldwide stage is a priority, as Blane delivers the strategic aims of Tennis Scotland. With the Tennis industry contributing major economic benefits for Scotland and the UK, along with the much wider health rewards the sport can offer and the international significance of Scottish Tennis, Blane is looking to leverage these opportunities and drive significant growth.
Blane was formerly ranked No 2 in Scotland. He previously held positions with David Lloyd Leisure, which included the creation of the first David Lloyd Centre outside London in Renfrew, before becoming founder and Managing Director of International Golf Network, a web-based golf membership and tourism platform. Passionate about sport and an advocate for sports positive impact on our lives, he still plays tennis to keep fit and plays golf to a handicap of six.