‘Let’s look forward to a prosperous and more settled 2022’

15 December 2021

Association Chief Executive Tom Brooke has a final look back at the success of Conference and wishes members a Happy Christmas…

Once again, a huge thank you to every one of you who attended and supported our 2021 Conference at Wyboston Lakes, it was great to see you there and finally meet so many of you in person for the first time.

Based on the hugely positive feedback we’ve received during and after the event, I’m pleased to say that we delivered a highly successful and enjoyable experience for everyone.

From the opening night’s social event and Q&A with Catriona Matthew and John Paramor, to our opening keynote speaker Danielle Brown MBE, one of the many presentations and workshops on key conference topics Wellbeing, Sustainability and Technology, through to our closing keynote speaker, Chris Cook, there was something for everyone and plenty to take away.

Whilst the event was certainly a success, there are always improvements to be made and we’ll be looking carefully at all the responses we’ve received via the delegate survey, before making any decisions on future events, formats and frequency. If you have any feedback for us on this subject, please get in touch!

For me, one of the highlights of the event was our member awards presentation. For the past couple of months, it was such a rewarding and enjoyable experience for me to have been able to visit so many of the hugely talented and inspiring Club Managers and Teams who had been nominated for one of our awards.

What struck me as particularly relevant in every single circumstance was the success that these individuals and teams have brought to their clubs, not just over the past 2 years, but for several years prior to the pandemic and in many ways at that time, bucking the trends within the industry by growing membership and delivering year on year developments at their clubs.

Congratulations once again to our newly crowned Manager of the Year for 2021, James Maclean from Bognor Regis Golf Club, our Team of the Year at Seacroft Golf Club, and our Newcomer of the Year from Lincoln Golf Club, Louis Booth.

One final word on all three of our finalists for the Newcomer category, as well as Louis, we also had Sam Foster from Whitby GC and Gary Beves from Golf at Goodwood, all exceptionally talented individuals and if they are the example for us, the future of club management is looking extremely bright!

During the Conference, it was also very exciting for us to announce the progress we’ve been making on the new, industry leading, GCMA Mentor programme.

We have now introduced our first team of GCMA Mentors, who will be working closely with us to support and develop the next generation of industry professionals and I feel extremely proud and fortunate to be working with them.

In the New Year, we’ll be bringing you further details of how to learn from the very best and become a GCMA Mentee, so if you’re an up and coming Club Manager, watch this space!

With Christmas now very much upon us, on behalf of the whole team at GCMA HQ and our Board of Directors, I would like to wish you and your families all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Let’s reflect on a huge amount of success and achievement throughout the past 12 months, but also very much look forward to a prosperous and more settled year in 2022.

Merry Christmas!

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By GCMA Content Team

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John Steele

John Steele is a former professional athlete, sports coach, Olympic Leader and is the Executive Director of Sport at Loughborough University. He has been Chief Executive across a range of sectors. Drawing on leadership experience of nine different Olympic and Paralympic Games (including the amazing events at the Rio Games), John reflects on the lessons from this unique period in British sport and relays his fascinating views on creating high performing teams.

Indeed, inspired from PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, by the most successful performance ever for Team GB, he has a whole host of new business and leadership insights into how this was brilliant performance was achieved and how it can translate back into your organisation.

John moved into the corporate world, before he enjoyed an outstanding career as a professional rugby player achieving international honours. After his playing career, he turned his hand to coaching and achieved the highest accolade for a British club coach by winning the European Cup with Northampton Saints. He then became Executive Director on the Saints Board during a period of unprecedented growth, and served on the England Rugby Board during the successful world cup campaign of 2003. It was no surprise that John’s talents were called upon to drive through a change and modernisation programme as CEO of the Rugby Football Union – a challenge that became controversial and ended in his departure from the post after only a year, but with his dignity and professional pride intact.

Headhunted by UK Sport, John took up post as CEO the day before London won the 2012 Olympic bid – and this promising start was sustained as he embarked on developing the UK’s high performance sport system, which he led for a six-year period of unprecedented success through the Beijing and London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Post-London 2012, with the Olympic legacy in place and an obligation to continue inspiring a generation, John took up his post as Group Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust. He has also succeeded Steve Cram as Chairman of the English Institute of Sport, an organisation described as ‘the team behind the team’, which delivers a range of performance impacting solutions to over 40 Olympic and Paralympic sports and some non-Olympic sports.

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Dr Jo Salter MBE

Dr Jo Salter MBE is famed for becoming the first female fast jet pilot, having flown the Panavia Tornado ground attack aircraft during her services in the Royal Air Force. Joining the RAF aged 18, Jo has since taken Air Cadets into the skies as part of Air Experience Flights, become the Director of Global Transformative Leadership for PWC, and most recently become a Global Advisory of GenAI for PwC.

Jo has piloted flights in the Air Cadets Air Experience Flights and inspired countless budding armed service members to pioneer a male-dominated sector, having been the leader of an all-male squadron. Since leaving the military behind, Jo has established a strong business career working in roles such as Head of Technical Services for NetConnect, European Operations Manager for Automated Power Exchange and Managing Director of Saltin Ltd.

Having developed first-class expertise in leadership, analytical thinking and performing under pressure, Jo is now a highly sought-after public speaker to share stories from her time in the skies.

Jo is a passionate Trustee of The Royal Air Force Club and an Ambassador of the Global Angels charity, an organisation that gives communities around the world access to clean water, education, healthcare and encourages female and youth empowerment. Jo has also authored two books, titled Energy: 52 Ways to Fire Up Your Life and Become an Energy Angel and Energize: Spring Clean Your Mind and Body to Get Your Bounce Back Today and Every Day.

In recognition of her achievements throughout her career, Jo has also been named as one of the 50 Most Inspiring Women in the World by Harpers & Queen. She is now working as the Director of Global Transformation Leadership at PWC, after working in other roles such as Director of Risk Technology Strategy, Director Chief of Staff to Head of Technology & Investments and the Director of People & Organisations.

In 2022, Jo was invited personally by Tom Cruise to attend the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick. Most recently, Jo received an honorary doctorate of Arts from Bournemouth University.