Ian Ogilvie and Alan Ritchie presented on Friday 23 June, at the RLSS UK Conference 2023 about UNDERSTANDING SWIMMING POOL TECHNOLOGY.

Ian Ogilvie

Ian started his career in the leisure industry in the early 1990s, progressing to running facilities such as public pools; hotel leisure clubs; 50-metre swimming pools; water parks; and finally, a National Stadium.

After leaving facility management in 2009, he became a registered Chartered Health and Safety Practitioner working in sport and leisure.

He gained valuable insight into all aspects of the industry, and extensive knowledge and expertise across the sector. He has a particular interest in swimming pools; plant rooms; and the lifeguarding and supervision of swimming pools and open water.

In more recent years he has been involved in several publications in the UK: and course development for several awarding bodies in the UK and Commonwealth. He was instrumental in the creation of the National Pool Supervisor Qualification (NPSQ).

He is also co-author and editor of several pool plant manuals and publications. Now, working on plant room specifications for several large operators for new builds; refurbishment work; and problems solving for pools, his work has taken him all over the world, including pools in Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East. As a registered RLSS UK National Trainer Assessor (NTA) he is passionate about the safe supervision of swimming pools; open water; and drowning prevention.

Alan Ritchie

Alan Ritchie is a highly experienced professional with over 33 years’ experience in the pools and water safety industry. He started as a lifeguard in 1989 and is currently National Pools and Water Safety Manager at GLL, one of the UK's largest leisure and cultural services providers. In his role, Alan provides support and advice to over 140 pools and has been GLL’s Lead Lifeguard for over 20 years. 

Alan has also been a RLSS UK National Trainer Assessor (NTA) for more than 20 years, training and assessing hundreds of new Trainer Assessors (TAs) with his extensive knowledge of lifeguarding and lifeguard training.  

In addition to his current role Alan is also on the Board of Trustees at GLL and has worked with ALT systems for over 15 years, providing a vast knowledge of the latest technology in the leisure industry.

Click here for more information about other speakers at the RLSS UK Conference 2023