Ian Jones– Chairman
Ian is currently a Senior Manager within Gwynedd Council, North Wales with responsibility for Human Resources, Welfare, Health and Safety, Customer Contact and Procurement Services. His previous role within the Authority included Sport and Leisure where he was responsible for the Authority’s Leisure Facilities, Sport Development and Healthy Living Services.
In his previous role, Ian also represented CCLOW (Chief Culture, Leisure Officers, Wales) on the National Aquatics Group and was also Chair of the North Wales LA Aquatics Group.
He is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and a Member of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA).
Ian is a former Welsh Schools Swimming International and achieved success at both National and Regional Age Group level. He is also a former Swimming Club Coach. Ian is currently the Chair of Swim Gwynedd.
Fergus Feeney– Chief Executive Officer
Fergus Feeney is Chief Executive Officer of Swim Wales and a member of the company’s board of directors. He joined Swim Wales in 2016, bringing more than 20 years of executive management and high profile corporate change management experience to his role with the company. Fergus specialises in leading business transformation and effective operational delivery and has worked internationally between the UK, US, Europe, Middle East and Asia. Past employers and clients include – CMC Partnership, Roche Pharmaceutical, The Royal Mint, HM Treasury, MoD, MoJ, Home Office, DCMS, LOCOG, IOC, Mitel, The Ryder Cup 2010, Deloitte, Fujitsu, Marks & Spencer, Panasonic, Bosch, Nokia, Orange & AT&T. Fergus manages corporate direction and strategy at Swim Wales, facilitating company activity in consulting, sales, marketing, partnerships, alliances and channel support. He also represents Wales on the Aquatics GB Board of Directors and is an elected Non-Executive of the Welsh Sports Association advising Welsh Government on Sport policy. Fergus has developed a clear understanding of how sport contributes to the wellbeing of people in Wales through education, health and communities policy, and has worked to share Swim Wales’ strategy and vision with customers, partners, stakeholders, and investors
Sian Prigg– Independent Non Executive Director
Sian is an HR professional who is a Senior Learning Consultant with Opel Vauxhall Finance, responsible for the learning and development of 1200 staff across Europe.
She is also the founder of Start Sooner, an organisation that focuses on coaching parents and their daughters to navigate the career maze and make brave career decisions sooner. Sian has always had a passion for tackling gender inequality and decided to put this passion into helping young women whilst they are in education.
Sian is CIPD accredited with a clear understanding of how learning and development fits into the wider business objectives, including training design and delivery across various platforms with a particular specialism in creating and delivering forward thinking online development interventions. Sian’s career has included Talent and HR Manager roles with learning and development a key theme. Her previous employer’s include Kelly Services, The Juice Group, Insight Direct UK, My Job Group and t2 Group.
Nicola Rylett-Jones– Independent Non Executive Director
With over twenty years’ experience working in the science, technology and medical education industries, Nicola Rylett is a senior sales, marketing and communications executive who has held both Regional and National Director roles with some of the UK’s most prestigious organisations. She has a proven track record in building effective and efficient organisations that focus on its engagement with members and wider stakeholders, revenue generation and long term profitability.
Nicola has previously worked at member organisations such as the Institute of Physic Publishing, Society for Endocrinology and BMJ, part of the British Medical Association providing strategic direction for a number of membership resources and services.
Nicola enjoys breaking new ground; she is tenacious, energetic, and creative, with focused desire to make things happen. In her spare time, Nicola loves keeping fit, so much so she has trained as a personal trainer and is currently training for a Triathlon.
Huw Lewis – Independent Non Executive Director
Huw is an ACA qualified accountant and is currently the Executive Director of Finance and Corporate Services at Valleys to Coast. Huw is a commercially focussed finance leader with a proven track record of supporting organisations to achieve strategic objectives through business partnering, development of teams and analytical thinking.
Huw has had a varied career both in accountancy practices and the business sector. He started his career with KPMG and was seconded to their New Zealand practice for almost two years. Huw’s first commercial position was with Legal & General before moving to multi-national firms including Gyrus Group and GE Healthcare.
Huw has also worked for the BBC, the AIM listed Pure Wafer Plc, Cardiff Airport and the Royal Mint before taking up his current role with Valleys to Coast.
Theresa Ogbekhiulu – Independent Non Executive Director
Theresa Ogbekhiulu is a young professional in the education sector, with extensive experience in race equality, governance, and inclusion. She is also the Senior Project Adviser for Race Equality/ EDI at Swansea University, where she leads initiatives to advance systemic change towards inclusion.
In addition to her role in higher education, Theresa is a passionate advocate for aquatics. After overcoming her own fear of water just two years ago, she became a qualified Assistant Swim Teacher, dedicated to making swimming more inclusive and accessible for all, with the Black Swimming Association. Theresa’s unique background in social justice, governance, and acquatics enables her to contribute meaningfully to Swim Wales’ mission of promoting aquatics for everyone, for life.
Her commitment to equity extends beyond her professional career, with leadership roles as a school governor, and a former trustee of Swansea University Students’ Union. Theresa’s work has gained national recognition, winning the NUS Wales Liberation Campaign of the Year Award in 2019 for contributions to racial equality, and has received nominations for ‘Young Leader’ and ‘Young Volunteer’ at the Black History Wales National Youth Awards.
Sian Joseph – Independent Non Executive Director
Sian has recently been appointed as the Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
This follows her previous role as a Senior Civil Servant at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in UK Government.
In addition to her new role, Sian joined the Swim Wales Board in autumn 2024. She brings over 15 years of experience in high-profile government and private sector roles, including leading the delivery of some of the UK’s most significant national events, such as the King and Queen’s Coronation and Her Majesty The Queen’s Funeral. She was also Head of Sport covering sport policy at elite and grassroot level in England.
James Southerland – Independent Non Executive Director
James has over 25 years of experience in international marketing and sponsorship, with an impressive background that includes key roles at McLaren, Virgin, and currently as Head of (VP) Partnerships at Williams F1.
A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, James has an extensive knowledge of building partnerships and enhancing customer experiences, aligning directly with Swim Wales’ strategic focus on strengthening partnerships to support our YMLAEN Strategy.
Noah Bernard – Independent Non Executive Director
Born and raised in Texas, Noah has lived across the USA as well as in Germany, China, England, and now Scotland. A former collegiate, national, and international swimmer, he also played collegiate water polo and continues to compete in masters swimming and open water races. Outside of sport, he enjoys traveling with his wife and two cats and is well known for his extensive collection of baseball hats.
With over 25 years of experience in product and marketing, Noah has worked with globally recognized brands including Nike, Adidas, Puma, and Samsung. He currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Brand at Endura, part of Pentland Brands’ cycling division.
A lifelong passion for aquatics has deeply influenced Noah’s personal and professional journey. Through his role on the Swim Wales Board, he aims to inspire greater participation in aquatic sports, strengthen support for athletes across all levels, and honour his Welsh heritage.
Patrick Murphy – Independent Non Executive Director
Patrick joined the board in October 2022, and brings a wealth of legal expertise to help further the strategic aims of Swim Wales and the organisation’s continued success.
Patrick is a litigation solicitor and Senior Associate in Darwin Gray, specialising in contested estates and trusts, and commercial disputes, whilst also lending his litigation experience to the sports law department acting on disputes between athletes and agents. Representing a range of both individual and corporate clients, Patrick advises clients on risk-protection and statutory-compliance, and helps them to navigate complex legal and procedural issues to formulate and deliver effective litigation strategies to further their commercial, personal, financial and legal objectives.
Patrick is committed to using his skills to support the growth and success of aquatics in Wales, ensuring strong governance within Swim Wales and contributing to its positive impact on the aquatics community.
