GLL employee profile

The main purpose of my job is focusing on growth and increasing participation in all areas of aquatics, be it swimming, diving, swim schools or even our Aqua Splash inflatable sessions for kids.

I started swimming as a toddler. I grew up in Australia and as we lived close to the water, my family were big on water safety. I started swimming competitively at age 11 and represented Australia from the ages of 14 to 24.

I’ve been a swimming teachersince I got my AUSTSWIM safety certificate at 16 years old. Since then I have completed a number of additional qualifications such as:

Teaching certificates - Teacher of Competitive Stroke, STA Level 2

CPDs – Disability, Adult & Babies, Preschool and Autism

Coaching certificates - Bronze Licence (Level 2 equivalent)

I got into my current role by having a passion for the water. Everyone should feel safe and confident in and around water, and I believe swimming is an essential life skill that we should all possess.

What I love most about my job is being able to have an impact on someone’s life. There is no better feeling than seeing someone progress and achieve their goals through the stages of learning to swim. My biggest challenge is the size and scope of GLL. It’s a national social enterprise, so we have a big job to engage most of the UK in swimming – but we’re getting there!

My proudest moment was representing my country at the London 2012 Olympics. When I retired from competitive swimming, it was reassuring to know that I could build a long-term career with GLL out of my love for swimming. An added bonus is to be able to work at the London Aquatics Centre, which was the competition pool during the Games.

If you want to build your career in swimming be passionate about helping everyone. I always try to pass on my knowledge to as many people as possible. I continue to learn every single day; the world of aquatics is ever-changing and you can always learn something from people you would never expect.