Senior Management Team

Drew Barrand – Chief Executive Officer

Drew is the Chief Executive Officer of Aquatics GB.

Drew joined the organisation in May 2023, bringing more than two decades of management experience in sport, having worked with governing bodies, brands, broadcasters and agencies, and having worked with key stakeholders such as Olympic Games Organising Committees, the Rugby World Cup and the English Football League (EFL), as well as sport-specific sponsors ASICS and EA Sports.

A year into his tenure, Drew oversaw the organisational rebrand from British Swimming to Aquatics GB - launching the new identity ahead of the 2024 Aquatics GB Swimming Championships in London.

Ash Cox – Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel

Ash Cox is the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel. Ash has worked for Aquatics GB since 2011 and is currently responsible for driving the organisation forward based on its strategic aims in performance, major events, international relations, business services and growth. Ash is responsible for overseeing the business services team, including people and culture, diversity, equity & inclusion, governance, and finance plus the broad regulatory side that encompasses integrity and safeguarding. Ash is also responsible for the Company Secretarial function.

Ash is a vastly experienced sports administrator having been involved in sport for over two decades including 6 Olympic and Paralympic cycles beginning in Athens in 2004. Before joining Aquatics GB Ash worked in private practice and was an engineer prior to attending Law School. Ash played Basketball at a national level for several years, enjoys all sport and is passionate about health and fitness.

Ash also sits on World Aquatics Safeguarding Council, is the Chair of European Aquatics Integrity Council and sits as a specialist arbitrator for Sport Resolutions.

Chris Spice – Performance Director

Chris joined Aquatics GB as the National Performance Director of swimming in April 2013 and since then has overseen a restructuring of how elite aquatic athletes are managed and developed in Great Britain.

Chris is responsible for driving a positive culture and performance across our World Class programmes for diving, swimming, para swimming and artistic swimming. He, and his appointed head coaches, working alongside key sport science and medicine personnel ensure that performance targets are met. Chris and his senior leadership team manage seven elite performance centres spread across the UK. Working in conjunction with home nations, he is also responsible for the talent development pathway for Aquatics GB, setting the direction for more than 120 elite world class programme athletes. After leading GB to its best ever Olympic swimming performance in Tokyo 2021, Chris was awarded an OBE for his services to swimming and high performance sport.

Before joining Aquatics GB, Chris was the Performance Director at British Basketball, a role he started in 2007, where he was responsible for the performance of the Great Britain senior and under 20s programmes to develop a systematic approach to elite player development, leading the teams into the London 2012 Olympic Games. From 2001 to 2006 he was the Performance Director for England Rugby overseeing the performance of all England teams and the development of elite junior players. In partnership with Premier Rugby he set up regional academies and he was instrumental in creating Premiership play-offs which are still in operation today. Chris was in this role when England lifted the Rugby World Cup for the first time in 2003. Prior to his rugby role, he was the Performance Director of Great Britain and English hockey from 1997. In this role he led the men's and women's GB teams into the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the England team to two Commonwealth Games medals in Kuala Lumpur 1998.

Before beginning his career in performance management, Chris was an international hockey player and gold medal winning coach with Australia. In his time with the Hockeyroos the team was ranked number one in the world from 1993 to 1997 winning two Champions Trophies, the 1994 World Cup for the first time, and Olympic gold in Atlanta in 1996. He has a degree in sports management from Edith Cowan University which he gained alongside becoming a professional hockey coach and international umpire.

Janine Harriman – Director of People and Culture

Janine Harriman is the Director of People and Culture at Aquatics GB and has 18 years of service with the organisation and its predecessors.

She is an experienced People/HR generalist and has held various roles within People/HR throughout her professional life.

Janine attended Sheffield Hallam University and achieved a degree in Business Studies and Human Resource Management, and she is also a Chartered Member of the CIPD.

Janine manages the People Plan for Aquatics GB, whilst providing proactive expert advice and guidance on strategic people development matters. Janine leads the People and Culture team in delivering a high quality service that meets the organisational needs and is proactive and innovative in the area of people development, working closely with the SMT in shaping and devising plans to help to retain and enhance the skills and knowledge base within AGB.

The highlight of Janine’s time working with Aquatics GB was the opportunity to attend the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Out of work she enjoys holidays, socialising with friends and spending time with her two daughters.  

Steven Seligmann – Performance Team Development Director

Steven joined Aquatics GB in November 2025 as the Performance Team Development Director. Working across all aquatic sports, Steven strategically leads the growth and development of high-performance teams supporting athletes and staff to thrive and contributing to the long-term success of Aquatics GB.

Steven brings extensive leadership experience in high performance sport as a respected Performance Director, coach, coach educator and high-performance strategist. Prior to working with Aquatics GB, Steven was Performance Director for British Shooting for 12 years where he led the transformation of the organisation’s high-performance programme, guiding athletes and teams to deliver consistently on the world stage while building a culture rooted in both excellence and community. He has also held senior leadership and coaching roles with the England and Wales Cricket Board, Cricket Scotland and is a Non-Executive Director for Scottish Rugby and GB Snowsport.

Adam Clarke – Performance Strategy and Operations Director

Adam Clarke is the Performance Strategy & Operations Director at Aquatics GB and the lead for our Para Swimming Performance Programme.

He began his time at Aquatics GB in May 2011, working as Head of Performance Services before moving into his current role in November 2021 following an organisational restructure, and taking on responsibility for leadership of the Para Programme in January 2025. As well as providing overall strategic leadership to the Para Performance programme, Adam’s main role responsibility is to oversee the development of overarching performance strategies and operational plans for all our performance sports, as well as overseeing the planning and delivery of programme activity.

Prior to joining Aquatics GB, Adam had a career in community sport development, sport and leisure facility management and leisure management consultancy, before part-owning a business specialising in sport, leisure and economic development programme and service evaluation. He has a degree in Sport and Recreation Studies, with a Postgraduate Certificate in Sport and Leisure Management.

Away from the water, he was once interviewed on the BBC News to provide insight into a super casino development.

Matt Ashman – Sports Science & Sports Medicine Director

Matt Ashman leads and strategically manages the development of a world-leading sports science and sports medicine (SSSM) programme as the Sports Science and Sports Medicine Director.

Matt Joined Aquatics GB in 2017 following a decade working across the high-performance system in Athlete Health related roles. Initially working as the Aquatics GB Athlete Health Lead and then the Head of SSSM for Olympic Swimming, Matt took on his current cross aquatic SSSM Director role in 2021. Matt leads a highly experienced SSSM leadership team and team of practitioners to ensure athletes have the best level of support to enable them to reach their performance potential.

Matt is also the Programme Lead for the Diving GB programme ensuring the highest level of strategic leadership and management to continue the positive performance trajectory of the programme.