Our senior team

Oliver Lee OBE

Oliver joined Places Leisure in 2022. On graduating from Cambridge University in 1995, he joined the Royal Marines and served across the world for eighteen years. He became the youngest full colonel since the Second World War. In 2013, he resigned from the Royal Marines on a point of personal principle and has since built a second career as a chief executive. People, communities and doing the right thing are of paramount importance to Oliver; these factors led him to Places Leisure. Oliver has two teenage sons, one of whom is neurodiverse, and inclusion matters to him greatly.

In addition to leading Places Leisure, Oliver much enjoys being part of the Places for People executive team.

For Oliver, a healthy community means belonging for everyone.

Carolyn D'Costa

Carolyn is a qualified Chartered Accountant who joined the company in 2002 as the Financial Controller, before being appointed as the Finance Director in 2015. Carolyn strongly believes in finance as a value-add function to the business and has considerable experience in financial strategy and management. Passionate about health and wellbeing, and the importance it plays in improving lives and tackling the public health crisis, Carolyn is dedicated to ensuring that these services are accessible to all.

For Carolyn, a healthy community means inclusivity.

Chris Payne

Chris joined Places Leisure in September 2022. After serving in the Army and Royal Marines for 20-years, Chris was keen to continue to give something back to the communities in which we live. With two young boys he understands the importance of establishing healthy habits which will last a lifetime and he is passionate that the opportunities to develop these habits are accessible to all. A graduate in aerospace engineering from the University of Southampton, Chris loves to solve problems and there is nothing more important than the UK public health crisis.

For Chris, a healthy community means together as one.

Clare Garcia

Clare joined Places Leisure in 2009 as our HR Manager. Having studied Personnel Management at Plymouth University, Clare has embarked on a career following her passion for all things people. She has worked in the tech, supermarket and hire care sectors, enabling Clare to bring a broad range of experience to bear in helping to look after, develop and grow our talent. With a young family, Clare understands all too well the pressure of juggling work and a busy home life, and is an advocate for developing support for working parents. Despite these pressures, she still finds time to support her local community, as a parent governor and an enterprise advisor to the whole school’s career programme.

For Clare, a healthy community means acceptance.

Tom Goodhand

Tom began his career as a Trainee Duty Manager at Cleethorpes Leisure Centre in 1983. After a brief flirtation with accountancy, he started with Places Leisure (formally Crossland Leisure & DC Leisure) in 1988 and quickly progressed through a wide range of operational posts culminating in his current role as Operations Director. Married and the proud father of three children, together they let off steam enjoying and suffering the ups and downs of following Grimsby Town FC……the only way is up!

Tom feels lucky to work in a dynamic industry which plays such an important role in improving the health and wellbeing of the communities we are privileged to serve.

For Tom, a healthy community means equal opportunities for all.

Jamie Brown

Jamie has over 28 years’ leisure management experience having worked in the private, public and third sector, and joined Places Leisure in 2013 as a contract manager. Jamie’s enthusiasm for sport and physical activity started at early age. He was a successful athlete and keen rugby player in his youth, and his passion for physical activity was born from those positive experiences. In his current role, he works tirelessly to provide communities with opportunities to be physically active. This spills over into his personal life where he dedicates his spare time to coaching his son’s football team.

For Jamie, a healthy community means happiness.

Keiron Butcher

Keiron joined Places Leisure in April 2023. His early career was at McDonalds in operational and support service roles. He then embarked on the next stage of his career in the leisure sector in 2010. Since then, he has worked for a breadth of leisure trusts and social enterprises. Whilst at activeNewham, Keiron lead a project that brought to life the first receptionless and cashless leisure centres in the country. He has a real passion for data and encourages all around him to use it to its full. When he is not working, Keiron enjoys a busy home life with his partner Martin and there two dogs and a cat. Together they enjoy swimming, gardening and walking; and can often be found in the highlands of Scotland escaping their technology-based lives.

For Keiron, a healthy community means being your authentic self.

Keith Evans

Keith started his journey as a leisure assistant in 1993 whilst studying Leisure management at college. Keith worked in several roles in both the private and public sector before becoming a General Manager in 2001. The take-over of DC leisure by the Places for People Group in 2004 has provided the opportunities and pathway for Keith to develop himself personally and professionally moving on to become a Contract Manager, Area Manager and now Health, Safety & Risk Director. Keith is a keen golfer and an avid Tottenham fan; time with his young family allows him to rekindle his inner child and free spirit.  

For Keith, a healthy community means providing a safe and enjoyable environment that everyone can access.

Dan Walker

Dan has worked for Places Leisure for over 15 years and has been Business Development Director since 2019. He is particularly proud to have delivered Hinckley Leisure Centre and Places Leisure Camberley in his business development role, and overseen the transformation in the Wokingham contract, all of which showcase exemplar projects whilst improving healthy communities. Away from work Dan has raised three children who all understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle, is an avid football fan and is regularly charging up and down the country in search of a live motor sport event. Dan also enjoys fundraising, having cycled from London to Paris for ‘Against Breast Cancer’ and has recently run the Exeter half marathon as a champion for the ‘Teenage Cancer Trust.’

In addition to his Directorship at Places Leisure, Dan much enjoys being part of the Places for People senior leadership team.

For Dan, a healthy community means opportunities for everyone in a truly inclusive way.

Martin Anderson

Martin joined Places Leisure in June 2014 having worked as a consultant to the company for many years prior. Martin is a Chartered Surveyor with over 40 years’ experience and for the majority of that time has worked on the construction of every type of leisure centre including low-cost gyms to high end private spas and the best being those for Places Leisure. He has also worked in a wide range of other sectors from aviation, to pharmaceuticals, to hotels. This breadth of experience is invaluable in supporting the development of our leisure facilities.

For Martin, a healthy community means expanding the experiences available to everyone.

Damian Watts

Damian has experience spanning 30 years within the leisure industry. He joined Places Leisure in 2003 as general manager, before moving into a contract management role in 2006. In these roles, Damian took pride in developing and nurturing talented colleagues whilst ensuring the commercial success of several new build facilities. After achieving success as an operator, he made the switch into our Business Development team in 2013 as was appointed Head of Business Development in 2020. He is a married father of 3 teenagers and a keen sportsman/volunteer who has spent a decade of his spare time coaching both junior rugby and football.

For Damian, a healthy community means togetherness and positivity.