The 40-year-old, winner of an Olympic bronze medal in the heptathlon at Athens 2004, officially joined the panel on Sunday (January 1).

She will represent the interest of athletes, as well as other "topical issues" within the sport.

Sotherton also won a silver medal at the 2008 World Indoor Championships and bronze at the 2007 World Championships. 

The Isle of Wight-born star is also set to win a second Olympic medal as part of the British 4x400 metres relay team at Beijing 2008.

She, Nicola Sanders, Marilyn Okoro and Christine Ohuruogo originally finished fifth in the Chinese capital, but stand to be officially upgraded to third following the doping-related disqualifications of Russia and Belarus.

"I’m delighted to be joining the board at BWL," she said.

"It is a sport I am hugely passionate about and one I am determined to help grow. 

"As a female athlete I could see the huge benefits of the sport, and I fully appreciate the challenges these young athletes face. 

"I hope my experience means I will bring something different to the Board and display real value to both the athletes and the organisation."

Sotherton has been a vocal critic of doping throughout her career.

She fiercely criticised heptathlon rival Lyudmila Blonska for being allowed to return to competition after a drugs ban, and was duly promoted from fifth to fourth at Beijing 2008 when the Ukrainian failed again.

When Russia's Tatyana Chernova was implicated last year, Sotherton led calls for her to be stripped of her 2011 world heptathlon title in favour of British team-mate Jessica Ennis-Hill.

Sotherton tweeted last February: "I'm so mad and upset, I can't describe it. Especially when your suspicions are confirmed."

Weightlifting has also been riddled with doping problems, although there have been far fewer within the British set-up.

Since her retirement in 2012, Sotherton has been prominent in the media and within other bodies.

She currently sits on British Athletics’ Anti-Doping Committee and is the chair of the Athlete Sub-Committee attached to this, which she set up herself. 

Sotherton was elected onto the International Association of Athletics Federations Women’s Committee in 2015 and is also a Board member of the Sports People Think Tank.

"We are thrilled to have Kelly joining our Board of Directors," said BWL chief executive Ashley Metcalfe.

"She brings unique experiences to the board and will serve as an excellent role model to our younger athletes, especially among the women within our sport.

"She was a fantastic athlete when she was competing but equally important to us is her experience since her athletic career finished. 

"She understands athletes and their challenges and we know this experience will be invaluable to us."