The inaugural athlete cohort have enjoyed developing skills and understanding during a unique work experience opportunity exploring the day-to-day business functions that go into running a National Governing Body.
The first-ever Aquatics GB Open Doors project launched in February 2025, with five swimmers looking to gain valuable insights and skills that can help their future career planning for life beyond competition.
Paralympic champions Brock Whiston and Maisie Summers-Newton, Olympic gold medallist Kieran Bird, World Championship medal-winner Abbie Wood and three-time British champion Kara Hanlon have enjoyed the opportunity over the past few months of spending time with departments across the organisation, learning from Aquatics GB staff about their own career development paths and gaining insights to a ‘typical’ week in the functions which help support them and their teammates to be able to train and perform on the world's biggest stages.
With practical sessions and mentorship which covered areas such as CV writing and interview preparation, data analysis, travel planning as part of the performance operations setup, finance, sports science and sports medicine (SSSM), and communications and marketing – including throwing themselves into getting actively involved in elements of media operations at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships – each of the athletes participating in the programme have found the variety of opportunities highly valuable in contemplating broad range of roles available for them to pursue in their future careers.
Abbie Wood focused her time on exploring opportunities within the events and media departments at Aquatics GB, and has found great comfort in now being able to approach a career post-retirement.
"I think before this programme I was really scared to retire from swimming, I think sometimes athletes might put-off retiring out of fear of what comes next.
"Now I don't see life after swimming as a big scary thing, it's really bridged the gap, and I can now finish my career when I want to, not dragging it out because of fearing what awaits in the next stage of my life."
Claire Ewing, Senior Performance Lifestyle Coach, led the programme during this first phase with Aquatics GB staff and the five athletes involved.
"The athletes' stories of their experiences have been incredible. Each have talked about how the programme has opened and closed doors to possibilities for careers after swimming and how investing time now has brought comfort meaning they have freedom to maximise the present day.
"A key highlight has been the value the group placed on sharing the experience together and how working cross-aquatically has been of support to them.
"The programme would not have been possible without the fabulous Core Team of Julie Smith, Clare Hartley, Karen Walton and Janine Harriman. As well as our wonderful mentors who were partnered with an athlete for the duration of the programme, and our CEO, Drew Barrand, who was a champion of the programme from the first moment the idea was shared and has enjoyed meeting the group through the programme."