Mike Davey and Gisela Otten have joined the Board of Directors of Cambridge United. This follows Jenny Horsfield and Christoph Loch resigning after many collective years of fantastic service to the Club...
Mike, a Habbin Season Ticket Holder, has recently stepped down as Leader of the City Council. Gisela has just retired after over 100 games for Cambridge United WFC and captaining the team for a large part of her career.
Mike will also join the Foundation Board as a Trustee and Gisela will Chair the Women’s Board, strengthening the links from both to the main Club Board of Directors.
Paul Barry, Majority Owner, said, "I am very pleased that Mike and Gisela have agreed to join the Board of Directors. They are both passionate fans, highly committed to helping us play an even bigger role - ‘United for Cambridge’ - and am sure will be very additive to the Board as we shape this next chapter for the Club.
"It is great that Gisela will also be chairing the Board of the Women’s team given her distinguished playing career over recent years, and that Mike has also agreed to join the Foundation Board given his long standing passion and commitment to improving the lives of people living in the city. As a Club we are all excited about the opportunity ahead to do more in both those key areas as Cambridge continues to grow as a city.
"I should also put on record my - and Mark’s - thanks to our Board of Directors as a whole. They are all passionate Cambridge United fans who put a huge amount of collective work into the Club in many different - and often unseen - ways. Last year was a tough one for everyone but they have played a very significant role in the off-field progress we have made over the last five years and their support to us personally as Owners is hugely appreciated by us both.
"I also spent a morning at the training ground last week and came away with a real sense of the renewed energy and edge around the place. With the fixtures now out, we are counting down to August 2 and I am excited about what lies ahead. This is a new chapter for the Club with Bonz and Neil at the helm and, as ever, we are approaching it United in Endeavour. Thank you to everyone for your continued support."
Note to Editors
Mike Davey has been resident in the city for over 20 years and is a Habbin Season Ticket holder. He worked as a Director in local Government in Cambridge for much of that time in roles with responsibility for community safety, engagement and working with young people. He was also Chief Executive of the Connexions Company in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough which employed over 300 people, delivering services for young people to enable them to get into training or employment.
Mike has also been very involved in voluntary work in the community, as a trustee with Abbey People, Chair of Governors at the Galfrid Primary School (formerly Abbey Meadows) and chairing the Board of Centre 33, a Children and Young Peoples Charity. He became the Labour City Councillor for Petersfield in 2019, and he became the Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources in 2020. In the spring of 2023, Mike became the Leader of the Labour Group and therefore Leader of the Council. He stood down as Leader in May 2025.
Gisela Otten was born in Holland where she played national league women’s football for HZVV (Hoogeveen Zaterdag Voetbal Verenigning), a molecular biologist by training, she moved to Cambridge to conduct postdoctoral research at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. She now works at Amphista Therapeutics, a biotech company in the city developing next-generation medicines for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
Gisela played over 100 times for Cambridge United Women over six years, playing a pivotal role in developing the Club and its culture, and was recently named the Club’s EFL Community Champion for 2024/25 in recognition of her service off the pitch.