Staff Announcement for Gary Francis
Swimming NZ announces that Olympic Programme Lead, Gary Francis, will be leaving the organisation in the coming months as he relocates with his family to Perth.
Francis has led our Olympic Programme since 2017 and has overseen the transformation of the centralised high performance programme to the new de-centralised programme, which has seen the emergence of key performance programmes in Dunedin and Auckland, with athletes such as Erika Fairweather and Lewis Clareburt.
Swimming NZ’s Chief Executive, Steve Johns, acknowledged Gary’s contribution and leadership of the programme.
“Gary’s leadership and commitment have been instrumental in advancing our Olympic programme throughout his tenure, and he leaves with the quality and depth of swimmers that we have not seen for many years.”
When reflecting on his time with Swimming NZ, Gary’s grateful for the support he has received over the years.
“The past seven years have been some of the most rewarding of my career. The progress that has been made within the swimming High Performance environment in New Zealand is due to the hard work, professionalism, support and determination shown by my colleagues at Swimming NZ, and the coaches and swimmers in New Zealand. Although I still have a few months to go before leaving, I would like to thank you all for allowing me to be a part of the progress – it’s a privilege to work with such a group.”
Gary thinks the future is bright for the sport.
“Looking ahead, this is an exciting time for swimming in New Zealand. Our swimmers are realising they are competitive at the very highest level, and we have some genuinely world-class coaches to guide them.”
Johns expressed thanks to Francis for his service to the sport and his role.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude for his invaluable contributions to our sport and wish him and his family all the best in their new journey.”
The global search for Gary’s replacement will commence immediately.
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