Our People - David Lloyd Clubs

Phil Hutchinson

Personal Trainer, who describes David Lloyd Clubs as ‘Rewarding, Welcoming & Vitalising’

I am a Personal Trainer and Master Trainer from the Kings Hill club. I am also an instructor for the Blaze, Battlebox and Cyclone signature products.

My career has been transformed since joining David Lloyd Clubs as I no longer consider my work as a job.

I also have much greater freedom with my working hours in comparison with my previous employment. Over the 6+ years I have now been at the company, my role has constantly evolved and provided countless unique opportunities, meaning that I’ve never stagnated or felt a lack of direction.

Which of our values resonates with you most and why? Freedom to succeed is the value that resonates with me most because I genuinely feel like the shackles are off and I am able to take control of my own work. My manager and supervisor have always equipped me with the tools necessary to continually accomplish my goals.

I have always felt the freedom to take control of my career with a variety of options for progression.

What does our culture mean to you? I find that the company culture and values at David Lloyd Clubs make the atmosphere at the clubs tremendously positive and empowering. To work in an environment where everyone is pulling in the same direction and encouraging you to give your best, makes your day so much more enjoyable.

Charlotte Love

Sales Manager, who describes David Lloyd Clubs as ‘Fun, Exciting and Friendly’

I’m Charlotte, the Sales Manager at David Lloyd Clubs in Chorley. I started my career with David Lloyd Clubs just over 11 years ago as a Sales Consultant at our Bolton Club. I have since worked in 9 different clubs and been a Sales Manager at 8 of them.

How do you maintain motivation and continue to develop professionally? Working in the Sales department means that maintaining motivation is an integral part of my role. I’ve been lucky enough to work with and meet so many different people during my career at David Lloyd Clubs which has helped me to develop both personally and professionally as I've been able to learn best practice from all of them.

Being exposed to so many successful and inspirational people within the company means that there is always opportunity to enhance your skillset.

Which of our values resonates with you most and why? My favourite company value has always been ‘Will To Win’. I feel that it sums up how I motivate and drive my teams by bringing our A-game every day to consistently deliver the best possible results.

What does our culture mean to you? At David Lloyd Clubs our culture is both member and team focused. We work hard to deliver the best experience for our members and team members alike.

We celebrate and recognise success, we coach and train our team members to deliver the best possible results, and we create a fun and safe environment to work in.

Mat Goad
General Manager

2004 - 2008

I Joined David Lloyd Clubs in Brooklands as a part time lifeguard while studying Sports Science at College. I really enjoyed my role and the environment at David Lloyd Clubs so I went on to also work on reception and DL Kids. When I finished College I decided to move to full time rather than go to University because I wanted to develop my skills and develop within the club. I soon became the Club Support Manager and then the Operations Manager, and loved being able to lead a team and support the day to day operations of the club.

2009 – 2010

I spent a year as the Sales Manager at David Lloyd Clubs in Brooklands, ensuring we hit our monthly new member sales targets, and finding ways to drive new enquiries to the club. I particularly loved on-boarding our members to the club and ensuring they had the best possible start to their David Lloyd Clubs membership.

2010 – 2013

I moved back to Operations Manager at our Hampton Club which had just had a huge investment and was a very exciting project. I loved working with a bigger team and even got to manage the commercial performance of the Golf course which was very exciting, and really helped my learning and development. During my time at Hampton, my General Manager helped me develop and learn the role of being a General Manager.

2013 – 2016

I was given the opportunity to be the secondment General Manager at David Lloyd Clubs in Stevenage for 2 months while the current General Manager was on maternity leave and this gave me a fantastic insight into the day to day life of a General Manager, and I very quickly got a bug for it. When I returned back to Hampton I was soon offered my first permanent General Manager role at David Lloyd Clubs in Kingston where I worked for 2 years transforming the club.

2016 - 2024

After 2 years at Kingston, I moved to David Lloyd Clubs in Cheam where I was the General Manager for 2 years, and then I moved to the beautiful David Lloyd Clubs in Farnham where I was the General Manager in Farnham. During that time we re-branded the Amida Spa area into the amazing Spa Retreat it is today. I have then spent the last 2 years at David Lloyd Clubs in Royal Berkshire as General Manager and have enjoyed supporting the business with many projects as I continue my development with the business.

James Willis

Operations Director, who describes David Lloyd Clubs as ‘Belonging, Ambitious and Fun’

“I’m the UK & Ireland Operations Director. I have responsibility for all of our clubs in the UK & Ireland and spend most of my working week visiting our clubs, spending time with our team and members.

What motivated you to pursue your current career?

I was a member with my parents when I was 14 years old and my first job was at David Lloyd Clubs, I enjoyed it then and I still do now.

Having studied Business Management at University I wanted to pursue a longer term career with David Lloyd Clubs (when originally it was just a part-time job whilst I was at college and university!) as it’s a successful multi-national company.

How has your career changed since joining us? I joined as a lifeguard when I was 16 years old, so it has changed a lot in the last 20 years! Having held various front line roles in our clubs (lifeguard, swim teacher, receptionist, clubroom assistant), I moved into sales and progressed from Sales Consultant to Sales Manager and onto Regional Sales Manager before moving into operations as a Regional Manager and then most recently into an Operations Director role for the last few years.

If you had any advice for future talent looking for a career like yours, what would that be?

Take control of your own development and seek opportunities to learn and push yourself out of your comfort zone.

Claire Dear

LMS Specialist, describes David Lloyd Clubs as ‘Inclusive, Fun and Rewarding’

Tell us about your career journey at David Lloyd Clubs?

“I have worked for David Lloyd Clubs for 25 years. I joined the company as a Business Development Secretary in 1999. It was a very different company back then, we only had 26 UK clubs. I had previously held a role as a legal secretary, and I knew that my career opportunities within a solicitors firm were extremely limited. David Lloyd Clubs was a brand I held in high regard having completed my work experience at the Heston club 7 years previously. It felt like this was the perfect role and there would be opportunities for me to develop in the future.

Once I started working for David Lloyd Clubs, I knew undoubtedly, I had made the right move.

I looked forward to going to work and loved being in such a positive environment with colleagues that had a passion for the business.

I stayed working at our head office for 3 years and moved into a purchasing assistant role and then onto PA to the Operations Director. In 2002 the Head Office function relocated, and I was then fortunate to move into the role of Member Relations Manager at the Kingston club for 2 years. It was a very different role for me, I was responsible for the member retention in the club and recruited and managed the reception team.

In 2004 I returned to a head office team at our new training campus based at the Heston Club. This was very much an administrative role that I realised was what I really enjoyed and was ultimately good at.

Fast forward 14 years and 2 children later I moved into the role of LMS Administrator assisting with the implementation and launch of our new e-learning and training platform. A year ago, I was promoted to LMS Specialist and thoroughly enjoy my current role.

I still feel the sense of belonging I felt 25 years ago when I joined.

I am very proud and extremely lucky to still work for an industry leading and inclusive company with values that I believe in.”

Samantha Murphy
General Manager

2011 - 2012

David Lloyd Clubs in Dublin- DL Kids Coach (Maternity Contract)
Club Creche, DL Kids Classes, Holiday Club, Birthday Parties
Duty Manager Shifts

2012 - 2013

David Lloyd Clubs in Dublin- Family Activity Coordinator (Maternity Contract)
Managing a team of 6 to operate all DL Kids facilities and products in the club

2013 - 2013

David Lloyd Clubs in Dublin- Receptionist

2013 - 2016

David Lloyd Clubs in Dublin- Family Activity Manager
Appointed to manage a 1 million investment into a bespoke DL Kids facility including its own clubroom and reception and 4 DL Kids activity rooms. Managing a team of 25 team members, 2 Family Supervisors and a Creche Supervisor.

2014 - 2017

Masters in Organisational and Business Psychology
Completed a MSc via the University of Liverpool via distance learning
Thesis: Transactional versus Transformation Leadership styles in female versus male leaders in the fitness industry

2016- 2016

David Lloyd Clubs in Dublin- Family Manager + DL Kids Company Support- Managed DL Kids in addition to the clubs Swimming and Junior Tennis offering.

2016 - 2017

David Lloyd Clubs Step Up to GM Programme
Was selected as a candidate on the very first David Lloyd Clubs Step Up to GM programme

2017 - 2019

David Lloyd Clubs in Dublin- General Manager
I was seconded into a GM role for 2017 and made permanent from 2018

2019 - Present

David Lloyd Clubs in Acton Park- General Manager
I was given the opportunity to relocate and further progress my career in a new opening in West London

Dan Howells

Head Chef, who describes David Lloyd Clubs as ‘Motivating, Passionate and Innovative’

I am the head chef at David Lloyd Clubs in Bicester. Something unique about myself is that I have cooked for many famous people throughout out my career working at a variety of restaurants.

I became a chef after leaving school at the age of 16, following a love for cooking passed down to me from my nan who was a chef herself.

How has your career changed since joining us? It has let me become more member facing so I’m having more customer interactions and gaining a lot more feedback. I’ve also trained up to be a Duty Manager and enjoy the different challenge of working around the full club and the responsibility of being left in charge of the daily operation.

If you had any advice for future talent looking for a career like yours, what would it be? I would say work hard, keep learning and listen to what others have to say.

What makes you proud to work for us?

I’m really proud of how the company rewards the team, and how they provide opportunities to develop your career in whichever path you take.

Beth Shipway

Regional Manager, who describes David Lloyd Clubs as ‘Engaging, Inspiring and Successful’

I’m the Regional Manager for the Central Region, looking after 11 of our Clubs across the Midlands, Oxfordshire & Berkshire.

Life is just as busy outside of work with 3 children, a dog and we even have a Rankin’s Dragon (much smaller & less scary than it sounds)!

How has your career changed since joining us? I took what might have been perceived as a step back to join David Lloyd Clubs as a Sales Manager in our Swindon Club in 2015 and progressed to General Manager at the same club in 2017. Since then, I have gone on to run our Bristol Westbury Club and Bristol Emersons Green Club as GM and moved into the Regional Manager role at the end of last year.

It’s been a great journey so far and I am looking forward to the next chapter.

What does our culture mean to you? Everything! We cannot deliver great results without a great culture – I truly believe that.

We provide an environment where our team can grow; we stretch & challenge, learn from mistakes and celebrate success.

We invest in great people and are very proud of our internal progression to date which continues to build and grow.

David Lloyd Clubs is a unique place to work, its fast paced, challenging and rewarding in equal measures and voices are heard – we really care about our people, they are the heart of our business.

If you had any advice for future talent looking for a career like yours, what would that be? Be open minded for an industry change.

We spot talent quickly and don’t put up barriers to fast-track progression.

Be prepared to stretch yourself and work at pace. Always remember you can’t do everything at once but always prioritise what is most important and work through things systematically to get the results you are striving for.

Christine Shoreman
People Business Partner

2010 - 2011

I started at the Knowsley club as the sales manager after working as a GM for a competitor for 10 years prior. During this time I got myself immersed in the David Lloyd culture and ways of working. Due to my success of achieving target I was asked to move to another club.

2011 - 2013

I continued as a sales manager in the Warrington club and this point I started to become more involved with the operational side of the club as well as still achieving targets.

2013 - 2014

An opportunity came up in Warrington to move to another commercial role as sports manager. I did this as it allowed me to have a greater understanding of the full clubs commercials and how I can drive and influence them through leading a large team.

2014 - 2018

I attended a GM assessment day which tested all areas of my knowledge, I was successful after attending this day and I was offered my first general manager role at the Speke club in Liverpool. Which really challenged me to upskill in all the areas I hadn't had exposure to prior.

2018 - 2021

I moved to the Bolton club where I really started to build my people skills.

2021 - 2022

As my passion had emerged all around our people I was offered a 6 month secondment in the people team to work on our company induction process and I worked directly with the people director at the time. During this period my love for the people culture and ways of working developed further.

2022 - 2023

After my secondment ended I had the opportunity to move as general manager to a bigger band 2 club at Manchester North. During this time I applied for an apprenticeship for my CIPD Level 5, which I completed alongside my day job.

2023 - 2024

Although I have loved all areas of my journey as GM I had the opportunity to permanently become part of the people ops team. Which I took with both hands and started in the people business partner role, that allowed me to still be out and about in the operation but in a people role that I love.

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