Over the coming weeks we will announce our new MemberWise Ambassadors who will champion their particular area of expertise. Introducing MemberWise Ambassador (HR & Workforce), Wendy Eley, Group Operations and HR Director at the CSSC (Civil Service Sports Council). We get to know Wendy…

The CSSC was formed in 1921, and provides health, wellbeing, and leisure activities exclusively for members of the UK public sector. It has 120,000 members.

I am an Executive Director, and my role oversees several functions including the key member facing departments of marketing, member experience, and member recruitment. I have 10 direct reports. I have been working for CSSC since 2018, having been a member myself for over 20 years. I was previously a senior civil servant working primarily in the Ministry of Defence.

I am sure that anyone working in the membership sector will cite navigating the pandemic as an achievement! We managed to pivot our membership offer from one that was built on outdoor activity and community, to one that supported our members’ wellbeing during the lockdowns. It was a true representation of teamwork and innovation, and I couldn’t be more proud of the team.

I was a member of CSSC before I started to work here, so I wanted to contribute to an organisation that shared my values and was built on community and connection. It was only after joining that I realised how complex and unique the membership sector actually is!

I was a speaker at MEMX 2023, and have chaired a speaker stream in 2024 and 2025. I believe the MemberWise Network is such an important resource to all membership professionals, and my team have gained so much from connecting with others. It is such a competitive market for people’s money now, and we (like many others) are continually trying to find ways to attract and retain members. Increasing member loyalty and improving our member experience are our top priorities.

Members need genuine care and connection, which can only be provided by wonderfully diverse, and super passionate staff. My role as HR ambassador will be to support HR teams to attract, retain and develop their people.

If I could recommend one thing to a membership/association professional starting out it would be not to underestimate the complexity of our sector – no other sector is quite like the membership sector! You need to be a little bit of everything, and you need to truly believe that what you offer really makes a difference to a member’s life regardless of the sector you’re in – so think like a member in everything you do. Most importantly, you are not alone so make connections with other membership professionals and share ideas.

To round off our interview with Wendy we asked her to share something with us that not many people know:

I am a huge Dolly Parton fan! So much so that she is a huge part of my doctoral studies into gender and social class!

We welcome Wendy on board as MemberWise Ambassador (HR & Workforce) and we look forward to championing related activity within the membership and association sector.