If you are going to entrust a consultancy with your project, you need the best possible team alongside you. Our Directors are some of the UK’s most respected experts in their field – people you can trust with your reputation.
Collectively we have long experience and a deep understanding of sport and physical activity strategy development, facility and service planning, park and open space masterplans, feasibility studies and business plan development, management model options appraisals, leisure operator procurement and leisure operational partnership development.
We are lead authors of the Sport England national guidance for local government and stakeholders – the Strategic Outcomes Planning Guidance (July 2019) and soon to be published Leisure Services Delivery Guidance.
You will find our senior team to be politically savvy and highly experienced in dealing with complexity. We operate comfortably at elected member/board level and equally well within communities. Our junior staff are very bright and apply their learning every day, supported by senior colleagues, regular CPD sessions and training. Our clients tell us we have an exceptional team. This is as a result of a unique organisational culture, commitment to excellence and continuous improvement.
Most importantly, the SLC team share the same values and passion for the sector as our clients. Caring deeply about what we do is a key feature of our work and our clients tell us that it shows.
Duncan Wood-Allum
Managing Director
What’s working with Duncan like?
“Working with Duncan is such a positive experience. He actively listens, challenges constructively and focuses solely on the outcomes the client wants. He has a unique ability to communicate effectively with senior politicians, board-level directors and senior officers, supporting them through tough decisions. Combine that with a down-to-earth approach, relaxed management style and passion for the sector, it’s no wonder his projects deliver every time.”
Contact Duncan by email here or by calling 07930 549580.
Duncan is the leading strategic adviser to the public sport and leisure sector. His 34-year career spans working in inner-city sport and leisure facilities, schools, developing and operating facilities and managing services in local government, advising the public sector and working in niche and FTSE 100 blue-chip consultancies. At each stage along this journey he has delivered some exceptional outcomes for the organisations he works with – including major UK cities, national agencies and local authorities.
Duncan and his team are currently providing free virtual Think Tanks for the public leisure sector to support the COVID-19 crisis response, recovery and regeneration. His recent work at SLC has enabled £75 million of cashable savings to be unlocked from leisure procurements alongside service improvements and £235 million of new capital developments.
Duncan is comfortable working in extremely challenging and dynamic political environments and across complex programmes, bringing focus, clarity and purpose to clients and teams he supports. He is currently leading SLC in supporting Sport England in developing the updated Strategic Outcomes Planning Guidance and Leisure Services Delivery Guidance (formerly the Sport England Procurement Toolkit).
He has written extensively in publications such as the Municipal Journal, Sports Management, Leisure Management, Health Club Management and the Leisure Review. Duncan is a former Executive Member of the Chief Cultural and Leisure Officers Association (2012-2017) and was the tenth person to achieve Chartered Fellow status at the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity.
Duncan’s educational background includes a BSc (Sports Science and Recreation Management) from Loughborough University and an MBA from Henley Management College, supplemented by international study tours. In his spare time Duncan is a Level 2 regional league hockey umpire and cycles as much as he can.
David Rushton
Director
What’s working with David like?
“Working with David provides clients with total confidence and assurance that they’re in the right hands. His methodical approach to planning complex management options appraisals, leisure operational partnerships and procurements, taking clients on every step of the journey, is fantastic. His relationships with, and knowledge of, the leisure operator market is unrivalled. He is accessible and happy to walk through any aspect of the project with clients, which provides them with real comfort. He has a great sense of humour and works brilliantly with elected members and senior stakeholders.”
Contact David by email here or by calling 07780 437753.
David has over 25 years of experience in the sport, leisure and culture sector. He has particular expertise in delivering sustainable sport and leisure services further enhanced by being the lead author of Sport England’s Leisure Services Delivery Guidance, which will replace and enhance the Procurement Toolkit in 2019. The new guidance covers all aspects of delivery from strategy, options appraisal and strategic delivery including through procurement, in-house and local trust management models.
David has led on a number of SLC’s transformation and procurement projects delivering millions in savings for local authorities, schools and third sector organisations.
David has 10 years of management experience with two of the UK’s leading leisure operators in business development roles. He also spent 10 years at the Audit Commission, inspecting leisure and cultural services in over 60 local authorities.
David brings this unique experience to his work on SLC’s leisure procurement projects and he is leading SLC’s development of better contracts and significantly improved financial outcomes for SLC’s clients.
David’s his spare time is focused on hockey, tennis and swimming, whether coaching hockey or supporting his children’s sporting interests. He has been a club volunteer for over 30 years.
Toby Kingsbury
Director
What’s working with Toby like?
“Toby brings a calm and considered approach to any project he leads. The relationships that he develops with clients are built on trust and his high quality and consistency of delivery. He can cope with unexpected issues and challenges, smoothing the way for the project and managing risks proactively. An excellent listener and methodical project manager, he offers a unique blend of talent, rigour and balance. If you have a tough project to deliver, Toby’s a natural choice.”
Contact Toby by email here or by calling 07876 033830.
Toby has a unique blend of operational experience, proven leisure facility development and leisure procurement expertise gained through several roles in local government, prior to joining SLC in 2015.
He has led a number of leisure procurement, feasibility and masterplanning projects for SLC and has developed an excellent reputation with clients across the sector.
Over the last 15 years, Toby has developed his career through a series of major operational roles linked to achieving a MBA in Sports Management.
Toby has a reputation within the leisure sector as an innovative, forward-thinker with an exceptional eye for detail and impeccable project management. He is highly skilled at managing senior stakeholders and his commitment to high quality outputs and ability to establish strong working relationships with clients has led to consistently good feedback.
Toby’s breadth of understanding of the leisure sport and physical activity sector combined with highly developed consulting skills means that he adds significant value to any project he’s involved with.
Toby regularly writes articles for national leisure journals and outside work, Toby’s main interests involve spending time with his family, coaching and playing for Findon Cricket Club.
Anna Dalton
Director
What’s working with Anna like?
“Anna’s working style is understated and calm. She provides high-quality detailed analysis of complex issues and scenarios. Her ability to work effectively in a team ensures that our clients get the very best outcome. Anna has a sharp intellect with the ability to take a complex problem, break it down and simplify it. Her consulting skills are superb.”
Contact Anna by email here or by calling 07419 588110.
A graduate of University College London, Anna joined SLC in 2012 as a Research Consultant before progressing quickly to her current role of Principal Consultant and Business Manager. As a certified PRINCE2 practitioner, Anna leads SLC’s approach to project management and she has successfully delivered over 100 projects for SLC. She has considerable experience in SLC’s three core areas of strategy, feasibility and procurement.
Anna is responsible for SLC’s ISO 9001:2015 quality management certification and overseeing all quality processes in the company. SLC are proud of this certification, as it ensures all company processes meet very high standards and sets us apart from other consultancies.
Anna has played a key role in the development of SLC’s Insight Research Toolkit and GIS tools, supporting SLC’s robust supply and demand audits, needs assessments, market research and demographic profiling. She takes a principal role in SLC’s business planning, financial modelling and analysis.
In her spare time Anna is a keen cyclist, cycling in the UK and across Europe.
Michelle Payne
Consultant
What’s working with Michelle like?
“Michelle is a breath of fresh air to work with. She is an enthusiastic, highly capable and motivated individual. Her ability to find solutions to complex problems is second to none. She never fails to have a positive attitude to every single task she undertakes. Michelle’s organisation and communication skills are outstanding and she has developed excellent relationships with our clients.”
Contact Michelle by email here or by calling 07557 117830.
Michelle joined SLC in 2019, having previously worked as a secondary school mathematics and games teacher. Michelle graduated from Loughborough with a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics and Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences.
Michelle has been involved in club sport throughout her life and is a qualified cricket coach and former Ladies Club Captain and Director of her local hockey club. She has a strong understanding of community sport and leisure and is a highly analytical and systematic problem solver, with excellent communication skills and experience of managing challenging stakeholders.
Overall, Michelle plays a key role in project support and delivery for multiple SLC projects.
Charlotte Jackson
Consultant
What’s working with Charlotte like?
“Charlotte’s natural communication skills and highly developed research and analysis skills enable her to bring real added value to any project team. Her passion and enthusiasm for the sector is infectious.”
Contact Charlotte by email here or by calling 07585 953162.
Charlotte joined SLC in 2020 after graduating from the University of Cambridge with a PhD and MSc in Geological Sciences. Following the completion of her PhD, Charlotte worked as an analyst in the Health and Wellbeing Team at parkrun, investigating the origins of gender imbalance at parkrun events and making recommendations to increase female participation.
Charlotte has a passion for sport and has competed to a high level in badminton, squash and rowing, culminating in racing in The Boat Races 2019 whilst completing her PhD. Charlotte has a strong scientific background in research and data analysis. She has excellent interpersonal skills and thrives in a dynamic team environment.
Judith Schrenk
Research Consultant
What’s working with Judith like?
“Judith is proactive and engaging. Her impressive communication skills and professional demeanour are a credit to SLC.”
Contact Judith by email here or by calling 07407 806458.
Judith joined SLC in 2020, having previously worked in consulting and most recently as a paralegal. Judith graduated from UCL and Queen Mary University of London with an MA in History of Political Thought and Intellectual History. Prior to this, Judith obtained a BA in Political Science at the University of Munich, Germany.
Judith has a longstanding passion for sports and has formerly participated in competitive vaulting. She is experienced in research, content management and stakeholder communication. She has strong communicative and interpersonal skills and works well in multi-disciplinary teams.
Judith supports SLC throughout various projects including procurement, strategy and feasibility.
Anna Lunn
Research Consultant
What’s working with Anna like?
“Anna provides the team with high quality research support and analysis. Her insight provides the team with real added value for all the projects she supports.”
Contact Anna by email here or by calling 07747 233835.
Anna joined SLC in 2019, after graduating from Queen Mary University of London with a Masters in Geography. Prior to this, Anna obtained a BA (Hons) in Geography from the University of Sussex.
Anna has a longstanding passion for sports and is a former regional level gymnast. She has strong communicative and interpersonal skills and is experienced in utilising a diverse range of research techniques.
Anna is currently involved in supporting a number of our procurement, strategy and feasibility projects.
Our Associates
Paul Weston
Associate – Architect
Paul is one the most respected architects in the sport and leisure sector. He has more than 30 years’ specific experience of designing and delivering swimming pools and leisure centres, principally in the public sector, including liaison with public and private operators and trusts. He works closely with clients to guide and advise them from the feasibility stage through to procurement, design, project management and delivery. Paul ensures that his strong beliefs in innovation, collaborative working and delivering client satisfaction are communicated clearly to members of the design and construction team on all his projects.
Paul has been SLC’s lead architect since 2009 and has worked on a number of our projects, including Girvan Pool, Scaltback Community Hub, St Johns School, Maccabi London Brady, Chelmsford Riverside Centre, One NK at North Hykeham and Perdiswell Leisure Centre, Worcester (the latter two projects in collaboration with NORR Architects).
Paul French
Associate – Building Surveying
Set Square Surveyors – Asset Management
Paul works extensively with both public and private sector clients, providing property-related solutions and advice to maximise the potential of property holdings. Paul has particular experience in providing pre-acquisition advice, ranging from single-building purchases to large portfolio investments, dilapidations strategy and resolution, asset management and maintenance planning.
Paul and his team at Set Square provide leisure-specific advice to SLC clients in relation to facilities and asset management, including end-of-contract and re-procurement issues.
William Culver-Dodds
Associate – Culture
William Culver Dodds is one of UK’s leading cultural consultants. He undertakes feasibility studies, demand analysis and options appraisals for cultural projects. William has developed successful income-generation strategies and fundraising for cultural projects and programmes. He also supports organisational development and governance in the cultural sector.
William has a highly regarded track record across a range of cultural projects and services and has been a longstanding Associate of SLC.
William has worked with SLC on the development of the Derby Silk Mill which has undergone a transformation and a number of cultural projects in North Kesteven.
John Button
Associate – Cost Consultant
John became a senior partner of Castons in 1995 and has considerable experience in all aspects of the construction industry, concentrating on the provision of quantity surveying and project management services. John specialises in the leisure, health, education and community sectors, working closely with Paul Weston on all SLC’s design feasibility studies. His experience in providing accurate risk estimates and cost profiles sets Castons apart from other cost consultants.
As a past chairman of the RICS East Anglia branch quantity surveying division, John is keen to improve the image of the construction industry within the business community. Castons have been SLC’s preferred cost consultant since 2009.
Steve Joel
Associate
Steve has over 30 years’ experience of delivering successful outcomes in the development and management of sport, leisure and culture provision at all levels – from high performance sport programmes for government agencies and national governing bodies; to art, health and community sport development within local government; and, to providing an inspiring student sport offer within higher education.
Steve has an array of operational facility management, facility development, leisure procurement and investment expertise spanning both community and national facilities. He has considerable experience of developing new partnerships, leading strategic reviews, operational service re-modelling and restructures.
Steve also advises on S106 and CIL assessments, infrastructure planning, site master planning and assessments, planning applications and appeals and has supported the preparation of numerous successful grant funding bids.
