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26/03/2025
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Another 10 cement their position at the pinnacle of our sector through gaining chartered status

The 10 latest recipients of our coveted chartered status have confirmed their standing as being part of an elite group of individuals who meet the sector standards with qualifications, experience and expertise that underpin their multiple areas of discipline and outstanding competencies.

They now carry a mark of distinction that identifies them as having wide-ranging capabilities and a track record of delivering positive outcomes, all of which cements their position amongst the best that our sector workforce has to offer.

As a chartered member they are professionally recognised as being at the pinnacle of their industry and will benefit from the sector wide recognition this brings. To help showcase their status, incumbents can utilise post-nominal letters after their name.

Find out more about the latest to gain the ultimate professional status of chartered.

Dave Candler FCIMSPA (chartered)Dave Candler FCIMSPA (chartered)

Pathway – Chartered Manager Fellow

With over 25 years of experience in teaching swimming and leisure management, Dave became the CEO of STA in 2016. Since stepping into the role, he has more than doubled STA’s membership and played a pivotal role in building valuable industry partnerships; including more recently, signing the historic MoU with Swim England to help positively shape the future of grassroots swimming.

Under Dave’s leadership, STA also became a CIMSPA Education Partner and earned the prestigious ukactive ‘Education Provider of the Year’ accolade in 2022. His noted team-driven efforts to support the leisure industry during the pandemic also led to Dave being recognised in 2021 as one of the ‘Top 20 Dynamic CEOs’ in the UK.

Professionally and personally, swimming is Dave’s lifelong passion. In his spare time, he is a keen open water swimmer, and in 2008 successfully completed a channel swim relay with Team STA.

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“This was a challenging six-month accreditation process but worth it, as it has always been a personal goal of mine. This ambition dates back to when I received the HR Austin Award for achieving the highest overall mark in the Sport and Recreation Management Certificate exam in 2004! I’d therefore like to express my thanks to George from CIMSPA and Sue, my assessor, for their guidance and support in helping me achieve this.”

Dave Candler FCIMSPA (chartered)

Karl Hayes 300.jpgKarl Hayes FCIMSPA (chartered)

Pathway - Chartered Manager Fellow

Having started his career in the leisure industry at the age of 16, Karl has developed varied and rich knowledge covering all aspects of leisure and fitness. He is currently applying his extensive experience and dedication to promoting and driving community wellbeing.

Karl’s career started as a leisure attendant and lifeguard, before moving through the ranks and managing a variety of different deliverables in areas such as events, catering, marketing, health and fitness and sports. He then took on the role of Managing Director at Impulse Leisure. 

His commitment to continuous learning through lived experience, mentors, coaching and qualifications is demonstrated as a Chartered Fellow of CIMSPA.

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Ali Beckman 2 300.jpgAli Beckman FCIMSPA (chartered)

Pathway - Chartered Manager Fellow

Ali has been involved in the leisure industry since she was a child, from a competitive swimmer to a teacher, and then into management and leadership. She has spent the past 20 years working for Puddle Ducks Franchising Limited, as a director and in the position of Head of Aquatics.

Ali has also sat on the board of trustees at STA since 2018 and was appointed president in 2021, where she works closely with CEO Dave Candler.

Commenting on her achievement Dave said “Ali has made such a significant impact in aquatics over her 30-year career, particularly in advancing baby and pre-school swimming through her role as an STA National Tutor and as a Director at Puddle Ducks. It is therefore fantastic to see all her hard work, and all that she does freely to support STA as our president, recognised by CIMSPA.”

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“The assessment process certainly challenged my thinking, but I found it strangely therapeutic! It isn’t often I do something for myself, so I was hesitant when the opportunity came up but thrilled with the results. Thinking strategically is part and parcel of my role but putting it down on paper and trying to articulate it is tougher than it sounds! Thanks go to my assessor Sue for her support.”

Ali Beckman FCIMSPA (chartered)

Michelle Hayden 300.jpgMichelle Hayden FCIMSPA (chartered)

Pathway - Chartered Manager Fellow

Michelle started her journey in sport development almost twenty years ago and her career has taken on various coaching and inclusion roles since.

Having initially worked with Sportworks and Kickstone Recruitment as a Coaching Officer, Michelle moved onto the Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) and Federation of Disability Sports Organisations (now Disability Sport Yorkshire), where she developed inclusive opportunities for everyone to participate in sport and physical activity.

Other roles followed in the South Yorkshire Sport Active Partnership, prior to them growing into the Yorkshire Sport Foundation, and most recently as Head of Workforce for British Triathlon where she innovated, developed and executed the roll out of the British Triathlon Education and Learning Framework 2022-2027.

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“The process was great timing for me, proving an opportunity to reflect on my personal development, strengths and areas for development and truly consider my future aspirations. I have since accepted a new role with England Netball as Head of Coach Education and Development and I’m extremely excited to get started there and see what 2025 has in store for me!”

Michelle Hayden FCIMSPA (chartered)

Lisa Binney 300.jpgLisa Binney FCIMSPA (chartered)

Pathway - Chartered Manager Fellow

Lisa is currently Deputy Head (Education) and Course Leader for the Department of Sport and Health at Southampton Solent University. She is also a fellow of the Clore Social Leadership Programme (CSLP), and an Advance HE Senior Fellow.

Lisa joined Solent in 2012 after 18 years of management and leadership roles in the sport and physical activity sector, specifically within education. She now uses her extensive industry experience to bring higher education learning and teaching ‘to life’ through practice-led curriculum development and embedded employability. 

Lisa has always placed great value on managing strategic partnerships between education and the wider sport and physical activity sector in order to create collaborative projects that enhance provision. Integral to this is her role as strategic lead for Solent’s partnership with CIMSPA, involving managing the degree endorsements and certification for the department of sport and health. 

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Grant Ralston 300.jpgDr. Grant Ralston FCIMSPA (chartered)

Pathway - Chartered Manager Fellow

After leaving high school, Grant gained experience in the sector by working in sport and community development. He went on to occupy various positions within sport and further and higher education.

Grant is the chair and a co-founding trustee of The Fair Play Foundation, which is a charitable organisation founded in 2018. The overarching mission of the charity is to advance health, education, diversity, and equality within Scottish society through sport, exercise, and leisure activities.

Dr Ralston continues to dedicate much of his adult life to helping provide opportunities for people and communities to participate in physical activity sessions and exercise interventions.

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Danny Costello 300.jpgDanny Costello FCIMSPA (chartered)

Pathway - Chartered Manager Fellow

Danny has over 25 years of experience in the sports, health, and fitness industry, with a strong focus on operational management, strategic planning, staff development, and customer service excellence.

Like many in this industry, Danny’s journey started as a lifeguard, where he discovered his passion for the incredible opportunities and experiences the field had to offer. From there, he went on to join Aberdeen Sports Village (ASV) in 2009, where he has taken on several leadership roles, helping to drive the organisation’s growth and success.

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“I feel fortunate to work in a sector that positively impacts people’s lives, and I remain committed to driving excellence, innovation, and accessibility in sports, fitness and wellbeing.”

Danny Costello FCIMSPA (chartered)

James Buttle 300.jpgJames Buttle MCIMSPA (chartered)

Pathway - Chartered Manager Member

James has accumulated a vast amount of experience over a 27-year career in the Royal Navy, 22 years of which were spent in the role of Physical Training Instructor.

This experience served to hone his technical skills across various sporting disciplines and physical activities, while simultaneously providing James with the theoretical foundation to excel as a chief petty officer. In this capacity, he oversees 15 highly qualified instructors who impart leadership principles through outdoor activities to a student body of 3,500 annually.

To this day, James remains dedicated to developing his proficiency in outdoor activities, technical knowledge, and human resource skills to ensure he maintains the highest levels of competency as a physical training instructor.

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“CIMSPA has provided invaluable support in this endeavor, contributing significantly to my ongoing professional development and maintaining my highest level of competence.”

James Buttle MCIMSPA (chartered)

Tom Webley 300.jpgTom Webley MCIMSPA (Chartered)

Pathway - Chartered High-Performance Coach

Having always been passionate about becoming a high-performance coach, Tom’s career began as a professional cricketer for Somerset CCC, which served to further spark his interest in coaching.

He went on to gain the ECB Level 4 Master Coach Award and continued his development to achieve an MSc in Elite Coaching.

Tom currently holds the position of Director of Sport at Wells Cathedral School, overseeing sport in an educational capacity.

Follow Tom on LinkedIn

“I’m delighted to have achieved chartered status as a high-performance coach. I’ve really enjoyed the learning process and gained a huge amount of knowledge from my Assessor, Alan Rapley.”

Tom Webley MCIMSPA (Chartered)

Simon Loftus 300.jpgSimon Loftus MCIMSPA (chartered)

Pathway - Chartered High-Performance Coach

Simon has had an extensive coaching career to date which includes several accolades through national championships at university and national league level.

Having spent time coaching in Sweden and the USA, Simon is currently in the unique position of being the head coach of both the English and Scottish men’s national volleyball teams and was an assistant coach at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Simon works as a lecturer in sports coaching at Kingston University, and a coach educator for the FIVB (The International Volleyball Federation). He also delivers courses for both the Scottish and English volleyball federations and plays an active role as a member of the CIMSPA Chartered Assessment Team.

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Learn more about the different pathways to achieving chartered status

The Chartered Manager and Chartered Fellow categories are for management professionals in leadership roles within the sport and physical activity community.

Chartered Status for Managers

The Chartered Activity and Health Practitioner category is tailored towards exercise and physical activity practitioners who have a distinct health-based discipline and extensive experience.

Chartered Status for Activity Health Practitioners

Chartered High-Performance Coach status acknowledges the exceptional quality and elevated level of expertise in planning and delivering services within the high-performance environment.

Chartered status for High-performance Coach

Interested?

If you are interested in taking the next step in your career path and starting your journey towards the highest level of professional status in the sport and physical activity sector, register your interest via the enquiry form below.

Enquiry form

Our Chartered Membership Lead, George Sheldon, will then contact you to discuss your prospective application and guide you through your first steps to chartered success.

Got a question? Take a look at our frequently asked questions.

See chartered FAQs

The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity

CIMSPA’s work enhances the career opportunities and professional development of the workforce operating in sport, fitness, exercise, leisure, gyms, coaching, outdoor exercise, health and wellbeing. We achieve this through sector-wide engagement, membership, networking, events, directories and professional standards.

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