The departure of Andy Salmon, the widely trusted and admired CEO of Swim England, at the very moment he was due to be leading the rollout of reforms that flowed from the recommendations of three damning reports into governance, culture and safeguarding, have made the task of restoring trust in the aquatics regulator that much harder.

The same could be said of what critics describe as the intransigence of Swim England chair Richard Hookway, on two key issues:

• a call from 25 Olympians, past and present Great Britain team members, for him and two others to resign from roles in swimming governance and current reforms has been met with a negative response, and with athletes refusing to meet the chair privately, calling instead for public transparency 
• repeated requests for an answer to a question Swim England have yet to elicit an answer. That question: "Did the chair, Mr Hookway, or any other person who was a board member from a time before Mr. Salmon's appointment, play any part in the appointment of the two new [independent] board members?"

Swim England's last response in a series of exchanges on the Olympians' letter and call for resignations and issues related to three damning reports into governance culture and safeguarding, states: "We don’t wish to comment further at this stage. The invitation for the Olympians to meet with representatives of the Board remains open."

That leaves us with no answer on the issue of who appoints 'independent' board members, that issue critical to our understanding of what, in fact, it means to be independent; Olympians (supported by many more) all the more frustrated with a leadership that appears not to understand why the athletes want them to explain to stakeholders as a whole, openly, why they believe they should oversee a reform process triggered by events highlighted in the damning reports.

Andy Salmon arrived in post two years ago with a task of rebuilding trust in an organisation reeling from the 2024 Listening Report, into the culture of the sport.

That report noted that there was “ongoing fear of complaining about Swim England due to a perceived risk of retaliation” and “..a fear of potential backlash for saying something unfavourable”.

That sentiment underpins the very reason that some of the athletes agreed to meet Andy Salmon if the three individuals they named stepped down in a gesture of recognition that their resignations would set the right tone for a new start.

As one of the Olympians told SOS when the board first suggested it wanted to be involved in any meeting of Swim England leaders with Olympians:

“Our sport has grown tired of seeing governors survive to become ‘reformists’ even though they were in positions of authority and influence at a time when, to quote one of the critical reports, ‘many of the more problematic features of the aquatics culture’ could be traced back to Swim England’s leadership. So, where are the resignations from some of the key figures in charge when things went badly wrong?”

There has been no open and transparent response to that question, simply a repeated invitation to meet.

Salmon's resignation leaves the stalemate firmly in place, and the board members firmly in place, too.

A good moment. then, to reflect on Andy Salmon's departing words, the timeline of events, where Swim England finds itself, and what the CEO told SOS in a discussion late last year about the changes underway as a result of those damning reports late last year, his words no longer able to be used in the context of the processes he is overseeing, but significant to understanding his determined approach to work that he will, sadly, not see through.

1. Let's start with the words Andy Salmon posted the following farewell note on LinkedIn:

After almost two and a half years, I have decided the time is right for me to move on from my role as CEO at Swim England. It’s not been an easy decision but one that feels right for me.

My time at Swim England started as The Listening Report was published which signalled the scale of the challenge that lay ahead. I’d like to think we made some really good progress with a new community-informed strategy, a focus on culture and ways of working and a new structure to deliver the strategy.

I remain convinced that swimming has the power to change the world, and I wish my former colleagues and the wider swimming community every success as they strive to improve swimming participation, especially amongst underrepresented groups and support great experiences in the water.

Whilst there were many very challenging conversations, I have several wonderful memories. I’d like to thank the very many colleagues and stakeholders who welcomed me into the unfamiliar aquatic environment and gave me support and encouragement as we embarked on the transformation journey. Thank you, sincerely.

As one door closes, I very much hope another will open. Whilst I step into a period of gardening leave, I will be looking for a new role that aligns with my desire to serve and my passion for making a difference.

end note

2. The Timeline of Events

16 February 2026 and 10 March 2026 respectively 
Appointment of two new independent board members, Max Sherrard and Alex Cunningham

March 17
SOS forwards the Olympians' letter to Swim England CEO Andy Salmon, who shares it with the current Swim England Board and Caroline Green, a former member of the board, who was* still on the board of Aquatics GB as one of Swim England's nominated board members. It is made clear that the issue may result in an article in The Times somewhere down the line.

*It is not known whether Ms Green is still an Aquatics GB board member. She resigned on 22 May 2026 but had previously made known her intention to resign so that she could apply for a position as independent director rather than Swim England nominee director. Interviews for the former were scheduled for 11 May. As of 9 July the appointee to that post (if any) still had not been published on the Companies House website, nor was any new appointee or Ms Green included in the list of board members on the British Swimming website (which refers to a board of 12 members but lists only 8 ).

• NB: the Olympians' letter was not published for several weeks (see May 11 in this timeline)

March 18
Andy Salmon confirms the above and informs The Times and SOS that Swim England would convene "a Board meeting for the next few days to discuss the letter and its contents". In the same email he expresses empathy with athletes and extends an offer to meet in words directly to the Olympians: "I am deeply troubled by your references to a culture of fear, but I respect your feelings wholeheartedly. We are working hard to dismantle this culture, and I am sure I would find it very valuable to better understand why you feel this way. I would be happy to meet you on my own, but Richard Hookway (Chair of the Board) would also join us if and only if you felt comfortable with that."

March 20
We reply to Andy Salmon explaining that the Olympians "have no intention of meeting the chair or anyone else they believe should bow out so that those who remain can get on with the much-needed task of reform, and stakeholders can have trust in the process." Some used words such as "typical" and "insulting" when referring to those being called on to resign to seek a meeting 'so it can all be smoothed over, so they get to stay, and it all gets swept under the carpet'.

We note that some Olympians, however, would be happy to meet Andy Salmon, of whom they were supportive, once the three figures called on to resign were out of the picture.

March 25
Andy Salmon responds to ask if the Olympians would be prepared to meet him - and only him - before any resignations.

March 26
We reply to say that, in the short time available to contact the athletes' feedback indicated that they wanted to see board figures step down before feeling able to meet the CEO, the reasoning provided in this quote:

“Our sport has grown tired of seeing governors survive to become ‘reformists’ even though they were in positions of authority and influence at a time when, to quote one of the critical reports, ‘many of the more problematic features of the aquatics culture’ could be traced back to Swim England’s leadership.”

In short, there was no trust in those responsible for the problems actively or by omission for years or who strongly defended the old regime and no belief that  people can change that much and suddenly become the right people to lead after the past failures – reflecting concerns in the Listening report  over those in positions of authority/responsibility at time when damage was done being  in charge of reform.

Second Half Of March (18-30, specific date unknown)
Emergency board meeting to discuss the letter.

March 30
That next reply from the CEO notes his disappointment but also his respect for the views of the Olympians. He adds:

“My invitation for a meeting in any form remains open. Meantime, the board has considered the draft letter and Swim England will continue to listen to all feedback. At this time, I can confirm that the directors and individuals in question have not resigned and are not asked to.”

NB: As of 9 July 2026 no minutes had been published, although minutes of the regular board meeting of 10 March are available and it would have been expected that the scheduled May board meeting would have approved the minutes of both. 

Thus stakeholders are still in the dark over:

• Whether or not those called on to resign declared conflicts of interest and/or left the room, or recused themselves from the meeting altogether 
• What the reasons are for backing these members including, critically, why the board continues to do this despite the problems of trust and its proclaimed priority of making member feel safe

Many stakeholders, including Olympians, who have spoken to this journalist believe that – if trust is not to be lost in the whole board -  there must be full transparency on this important issue, with disclosure of whether there was a vote and how extensive the support was for those called on to resign or for the Olympians’ letter. 

April 1
No 'fools' day' joke: Andy Salmon writes me a courtesy note to say that he is to take time away from work to focus on his health.

The issue of the Olympians' letter is handed to others to deal with, while the CEO signs off with this: "My offer to meet the athletes remains open once I return to work. Look forward to reconnecting soon."

May 11
SOS publishes the Olympian's letter in full and asks for comment from the regulator:

Olympians Call For Board Resignations In Swim England Reform Process

An open letter from more than 20 Great Britain Olympians has called for key former and current members of the Swim England’s board to resign from their swimming governance positions in order to build stakeholder trust in the running of the sport

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

May 15

Swim England finally responds with the following statement:

“We take the views expressed in the letter from the Olympians seriously. When people within our community take the time to share their perspectives, we want them to know they will be listened to.

We're concerned that these individuals feel they need to remain anonymous to Swim England, but we absolutely respect their position. We have invited the group, or some of its representatives, to meet with us so that we better understand their views, and we hope that invitation will be accepted.

Swim England, including the Swim England Board, has undergone significant changes in recent years, with our stakeholders telling us that we’re making genuine progress, but we equally recognise how much more there is to do.”

May 29
We publish an update in which the Olympians reject the "pointless" offer of meeting the Chair Richard Hookway and reiterate the fear they have of disclosing their identity. One points out that the athletes' two concerns are already clear in the letter itself - “Resignations will improve trust. And those associated with past failures are hardly likely to be the best future leaders” - and an explanation of why there have been no resignations despite this should be shared with everyone, not just Olympians in a private meeting.

Olympians Reject “Pointless” Offer To Meet Swim England Chair As Resignation Calls Grow Louder

Swim England governors want to meet Olympians calling for resignations but swimmers, past and present, say ‘no’, one key reason stated like this: “Resignations will improve trust. And those associated with past failures are hardly likely to be the best future leaders.”

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

June 24

We get back in touch with Swim England after the regulator announced the appointments of the newest independent board members months after the event, and then blocked comment on Facebook after someone highlighted that the appointments were in fact months old and that these members were in post when the Olympians letter was considered and called for explanation.

Our timeline tells us why there is interest in the timing of those appointments and the lag to the eventual public announcement of their arrival on the board.

We note to Swim England that the timing of the announcement could create an impression that  the new board members were not there when the Olympians letter was discussed. and  that 'the good work continues, with these new appointments'.

In the same email, we put this specific question to Swim England:

"Did the chair, Mr Hookway, or any other person who was a board member from a time before Mr. Salmon's appointment, play any part in the appointment of the two new board members?"

Both new members were on the Board when the meeting to discuss the letter took place, and Swim England won’t say who appointed them.

June 25
SE response: "We’ll take a little time to look into this properly and we will share an update with you as soon as we can do, likely at the end of next week."

June 29
SE informed that the following article has been posted, with an invitation to comment:

Campaigners Frustrated Over Swim England ‘Censorship’ In Board-Resignation Debate

Campaigners for accountability in governance angered over what they see as obfuscation where transparency is required. As Prof. Sue Arrowsmith put it: “These questions need open debate, and a proper open response from the board, not a smug PR statement and a shutting down of discussion.”

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

July 3

SE finally sends its response, which continues its stance of refusing to give any public information and just reiterates the invitation that has already been categorically rejected:

"Thanks again for reaching out. We don’t wish to comment further at this stage. The invitation for the Olympians to meet with representatives of the Board remains open.”

July 3 - two emails

1. We repeat the lack of appetite to meet the board members
2. I ask: "Can I just check... So on a day when Andy's departure is announced, Mr. Hookway is not going to answer the question 'did you have any involvement in the appointments of the two new board members...?' Is that correct?

It is now July 10.

Seven days have gone by - and counting. Swim England has yet to answer two key points, the first a question put by me, the second one addressed to Swim England's leadership by the Olympians.

1. My question: Was the chair of Swim England, Richard Hookway, involved with the appointments of the two directors who joined the Swim England board in February and March before the emergency meeting to discuss the Olympians letter?
2. The Olympians stance – reflecting the views of many others individuals and groups inside and outside Swim England who have spoken to SoS -  which has elicited no reply from Swim England beyond 'the board is open to meeting you privately'.

So a month after the Olympians told  the board that they would meet Andy Salmon (who has now resigned and presumably is not available) but not Richard Hookway, and called for a public explanation of Swim England’s position:

• Swim England has simply reiterated that it is only prepared to have a private meeting with them, and has failed to publish the relevant board minutes or provide any public explanation of its backing of the “old guard”; and 
• has declined to provide any information on whether whose resignations are sought were themselves involved in appointing the members of the board that continues to back them.

3. Extracts from my last interview with Andy Salmon

The following looks at a part of a backgrounder discussion and interview designed to catch up with a man a year into the CEO role that came with the inheritance of a reform process on the back of three damning reports. The exchange was part of sincere efforts to engage in transparent communication with an organisation that had acknowledged the essential need for the changes recommended in those reports, and recognised the wave of support for a new CEO and the steps he was taking to turn the ship around.

I asked Andy Salmon what his first impressions had been when he arrived at Swim England from his previous role as the successful head of British Triathlon.

"Like, anybody coming into a new job, I had preconceived ideas of what I was coming into, I know when I was interviewed, I heard words like 'transformation'. I was asked about my experience of transformation. So, all of that confirmed my preconceived idea that there was an appetite for change. 

"I'd underestimated the need for change, the scale of the change that was needed. On the positive side, I had this really strong sense of what an enormous sport, in the widest meaning of the word sport. It just felt like one enormous sport [with its various disciplines and a spectrum ranging from leisure to learning, to health and on through to elite sport all the way up to top international level]. I just thought what an enormous contribution it could make to the national good in terms of health and well-being. 

"It was way more than about developing talents to go and perform at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. So I don't underestimate the potential, but I come back to what I said, that I'd underestimated the extent to which change was necessary. 

"I was very fortunate in a way - though not everybody saw it that way - that in the weeks leading up to day one, I knew that the Listening Report was about to be published. And then it was published, I think in what was my second week in the job. 

"The Listening Report was clearly a very, very difficult read for anybody, whatever perspective you're coming to it from around the aquatics community. It was a difficult read, but looking at it somewhat selfishly as a new leader coming in, it was useful, in that it articulated the case for change. Without the Listening Report, it might have been difficult to convince people of the case for change.”

He then notes that his relationship with Swim England is not new: as head of British Triathlon he had a “curious” experience. Giving insight into a time gone by under different paid management (some current Board members also overseeing back then), he explained: Swim England “didn't really have a strong appetite to get involved in Open Water swimming. At British Triathlon, we really did and we wanted to work and we did work in partnership with Swim England, but we expected [the swimming authority] to take more of a leading role in that. But actually Swim England encouraged triathlon to take the leading role. That's something we're addressing now and we're working very closely with Triathlon because we share the desire to spread the joy of Open Water swimming.”

When we get to what changes he wants to see in the approach and culture at Swim England, our discussion includes this after reference to the importance of considering whatever management task you may have in front of you with "Maslow's hierarchy of needs" in mind.

"It seemed to me that there was a case for believing that the mindset went like this - 1. defend the organisation;' 2. defend the sport; 3. if we've got any energy left, defend the participant. What I say to the team now - and to the board - is that we've got to turn that upside down. It's got to be participant 1st; sport 2nd; organisation 3rd.

"Of course, as directors, and as CEO, there are legal and fiduciary responsibilities ... but our mindset has to be 'person first', and it's not just about the person in the water, but it's the parent, it's the coach, the teacher, the club official, the timing official on race day; whatever it might be, it's everybody.

"That's why our vision is "Great Experiences in Water For All, For Life". If that drives everything we do, if the 200 or so people who work here only remember one thing when they get up in the morning, it's to make sure people have great experiences.We're going to ... make good decisions most of the time if that's our North Star. But if our star is to argue with everybody and defend the organisation no matter the cost, then no wonder things go wrong. Right? It's not that simple but it has to be that simple for people to get it.

He takes us back to March 2024, the Listening Report out and the need to design the road shows at which stakeholders will give their views, the last of which was scheduled for July 4 (which just happened to be national election day that year).

"If I start there... three things come to mind. 1. I was blown away by this sense that people were afraid to speak up. I've never encountered anything like that before in my career. If I'm honest, initially, I thought well this is a bit weird. Some people actually seemed to think that me and my team would go out of our way to do them harm. That doesn't make any sense to me because I'm a nice guy and I know my team are nice people, so why would this person think that we want to do them harm. I quickly realised that that view was not held just by the odd individual. It was a view held by many so it was really significant.

"Then, 2, I was also struck by - and at the risk of sounding self-indulgent - what happened  because I did what I do, what I've always done in terms of trying to be visible, trying to be open. But also, trying really hard. I made really strong declarations [that can be summed up in these words he used]: 'We are not going to be defensive. Tell us what you need to tell us what you want to tell us. And I promise we won't be defensive...'.

"People started to open up and that wasn't always easy on a personal level. On that one day, at Circular Quay, I talked to six different, smart, adult individuals, who all broke down in tears in front of me ... all on the same day. They were telling me the stories of what they'd endured in the sport, and to varying extents, in those six stories the role of Swim England had played that made the situation even worse than it needed to be for them. That had a profound effect on me, as I think it would on any individual hearing those stories.

"And then, 3, the other thing that surprised me, despite everything, that community wanted us to lead, they wanted us to lead the sport, the community. So that was lovely to hear in many ways, but it was also surprising."

Those conversations were just a few of the very many more that then led into the strategy Swim England then formed, the "mission statement" they were working towards, a place where "to lead and to serve was the proudest thing you could do".

"I'm really proud of the whole thing but what I particularly love about that is that the community said 'yes, despite everything, we want you to lead the community. Thank goodness. I felt, though. that just to lead wasn't enough because if we just try to lead, there's a danger we fall back into our bad old habits, and we have to have new habits that are different to the old habits.

"If we serve, and if you make sure that every time you talk about leading, you talk about leading in a servant style, then I think you're on the right path."

Swim England published its strategy on November 30, 2024. That included various processes and further listening, to coaches and many other stakeholders, while it would be spring 2026 before actual rollout of the agreed reforms.

For Salmon, just over half a year ago, all was on track, despite some obvious challenges on the road to getting "a very traditional governing body to being an agile, high-performing organisation that happens to be a governing body that makes sense."

Since his resignation was announced on July 3, it is very clear from those who have reached out, believe that the optimism and hard work of Salmon will not only be lost if the board members called on to resign hang on "just to lead, not serve" - in direct reference to Salmon's words above - but that the whole reform process now sits like those pebbles in our main picture, precariously balanced and vulnerable to the next turn of the tide.