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Canada Richard Loat is a recognized leader in leveraging social impact through sport, technology, and media, offering strategic guidance to organizations navigating growth and change.
Richard advises and supports operational development, marketing, and communications efforts to develop new integrated partnerships that raise revenue and value in kind.
Loat founded Five Hole for Food, a cross-country collaboration dedicated to raising food for those in need through the time-honoured tradition of road hockey. This organization hosts hockey events to benefit food banks across Canada. Since its founding in 2010, Five Hole for Food has collected over 500,000 pounds of food.
Sport For Food is a United Kingdom-based non-profit organization focused on using sporting tournaments to support local food banks. It serves as the parent company to Canada's Five Hole for Food and the UK's Footy For Food, established by Richard Loat with the belief that sport can drive social impact globally.
Footy for Food is the UK and Europe-wide branch of the Sport For Food concept, directly inspired by Five Hole For Food. It executed its first tour of the U.K. in June 2014 to raise awareness and donations for local food banks.
Richard Loat established his presence as an innovator at the intersection of social good and community engagement. His initiatives are centered on uniting people through shared passions, particularly in sports, to create positive social outcomes. He founded Five Hole for Food based on his interests in social media and hockey, aiming to transform the giving experience into a collective, engaging effort. This organization uses road hockey to gather food for those in need, fostering community spirit while addressing critical social challenges. Richard is an alumnus of Simon Fraser University and an avid supporter of the Vancouver Canucks, integrating his personal interests with his professional pursuits.
Throughout his career, Richard has been involved in diverse philanthropic activities. Beyond Five Hole for Food, he is the founder and a mentor for YAHU, and a member of the ShelterBox Response Team, demonstrating a commitment to youth initiatives and disaster relief. His work extends to academia, with a focus on social media research, and various youth-related causes. He also serves in advisory roles with organizations like The Food Bank Singapore and held a guest lecturer position at Loughborough University, sharing his expertise in sport for development. His influence in the field is further highlighted by his contributions as an academic author and co-editor for the Journal of Sport for Development.
A key achievement for Loat was the expansion of his model into Sport For Food, a UK-based non-profit that utilizes sporting tournaments to support local food banks internationally. This umbrella organization, founded after the initial success of Five Hole for Food, includes Footy For Food, which launched its first tour in the UK in June 2014. Under his leadership, Five Hole for Food alone has raised over 500,000 lbs of food for Canadian food banks since its inception in 2010. His thought leadership is also evident in his numerous articles on LinkedIn addressing topics such as the future of sport, esports, and social innovation, reflecting his broad understanding and vision for the social impact sector.
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