What was your first-ever job?

My grandparents had a local shop and I used to weigh out potatoes into five pound packets.

Give us a quick rundown on your career to date. I worked in the health and leisure industry gaining experience in the public and private sectors before going on to study sport science. I graduated with a life sciences degree, then worked in sales and marketing before setting up Science in Sport.

How did you get where you are today? Whenever I went cycling with team mates they would ask what they should be eating. I got tired of doing lectures on the back of serviettes in cafes and agreed to do a lecture at the local club. Then I found myself on the lecture circuit and decided to get my family to help me set up Science in Sport.

Have you ever worked outside the grocery industry? I've mostly been in the sports/leisure industry but this is now a really important part of grocery.

What is the best decision you have made in your career and why? Setting up Science in Sport because it has been amazing to see people riding down the road with our bottles, and superstars on TV all over the world.

Who do you most admire in the grocery industry? Innocent for its style and growth, but before that it would have to be Red Bull for its global success.

Do you have a mentor? No, this is something I have missed.

If you could change one thing in the grocery industry what would it be? Encourage more focus on nutritional quality rather than meeting minimum standards cheaply.

What is the most rewarding part of your job? Making a real difference to a consumer's sports/exercise experience, such as helping them win a race or achieve a personal goal.

If you could start your career again, what would you do differently and why? It would have been great to have followed a similar path in California, which is 10 years ahead of the UK.

What advice would you give to someone starting out? Stick to your principles, it may take a little longer but your business will be more solid.

What do you like doing when you are not working? Cycling mainly. I still compete at a fairly elite level.

Topics