Coaches and Directors

Coaches and Directors
Coaching Staff
Lisa Bates Director of Swimming and Head Coach

Lisa is an experienced programme leader with exposure on GB International Teams, most recently Rio Olympic Games 2016 and World University Games 2017. She has coached a variety of International medalists and has a proven track record with the development of Age Group swimmers to senior level (Siobhan Marie O'Connor, Aimee Willmott, Sophie Taylor).

Lisa held a variety of high profile coaching jobs before joining CWSC, including Performance Programme Head Coach at the London Aquatic Centre (2014 to 2017), Director of Swimming at Middlesbrough ASC (2011 to 2014) and University of Bath Head Age Group/Youth Coach (2006 to 2011). Throughout this time Lisa has been part of the Team GB coaching team, working with International teams at a variety of training camps and competitions including Commonwealth and Olympic Games. She will be part of the GB coaching team at the European Championships in Glasgow this year.

Lisa is very experienced across the whole Performance spectrum, in particular in integrating teams and streamlining processes and coaching methodology to deliver success.

Alexander MacDonald Assistant Head Coach/Head of Development

Alexander has been involved with multi aspects of swimming and aquatics for the past 15 years, including competition management and organization, club management, officiating and coaching. He was previously a competitive swimmer himself in Canada and before this a competitive horseback rider.

Alexander has coached both within Canada and the UK and has seen swimmers achieve success from Age Group Level through to Elite. Previous to his work with Chelsea and Westminster, Alexander was the Assistant Head Coach of the London Aquatics Programme and has also worked with multiple clubs within the London region.

He holds the Canadian equivalent to the UK Senior coach (Level 3) and has also completed his Assistant and Coach level qualifications in the UK over the past 5 years since his move over. He is an accredited Swim England Tutor and actively delivers the Coach Qualification for Swim England and the Institute of Swimming across the South West and South East of the UK.

Alexander has a keen passion for travel and also volunteering especially at major events, including 2009 & 2013 Canada Games, 2016 LEN European Aquatics Championships and 2018 European Championships in Glasgow.

Drew Ross-Ashby Performance Coach

After swimming Nationally in South Africa, Drew attained his coaching levels 1,2 and 3 in America (ASCA) making him CWSC’s 5th Level 3 coach!

Carrying a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Sport Psychology, Drew has applied his swimming and education skills across South Africa, most recently working at the Bond University Swim team. In 2011, Drew set up his own Swim School in South Africa called ACTIVE AQUATICS – a programme solely focused on skill development for swimmers aged 3 to adults and including open water and triathlete training. In 2014 Drew took a position at Grayston Prep school as their head of swimming, bringing his Active Aquatics programme to the school.

Since registering ACTIVE AQUATICS, Drew had 14 swimmers (aged 7 to 16) compete in Central Gauteng Aquatics (CGA) Regional competitions and Age Group Nationals with the team achieving Swimming South Africa (SSA) Level 1, Level 2, and level 3 qualifying times and one swimmer qualifying and swimming at SSA open water nationals earlier in Olympic year (2016). Derew’s swimmers have broken CGA championship records and qualified for both Junior and Youth Nationals. One of Drew’s para-swimmers qualified for senior nationals, where she won 1 Gold, 2 Silvers and a bronze medal.

Drew joins us with a wealth of knowledge surrounding the development of Age Group swimmers into National standard swimmers to form an essential part of our competitive programme.

Board of Directors