Meet The Team

Get to know us

Our directors and consultants have the skills, experience and knowledge to make a real difference for clients in the public, private and voluntary sectors. Our team is at the forefront of those continuing to investigate the social, economic and community benefits of sport and leisure provision.

We have supported clients from high level over-arching leisure strategies, through to centre feasibility studies. We have worked with clients to develop indoor and outdoor leisure facility strategies and advise on the best delivery and management options.

Lisa Forsyth

Lisa has been working in the local authority leisure industry for 20 years; working as a consultant for the previous 10 years.
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Kirsty Winders

Kirsty has extensive experience in producing financial and written proposals for the management of leisure and cultural facilities.
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Nicky Turnbull

Nicky has a background in public relations and is a consultant for Max Associates.
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Greg Chesters

Greg is an experienced operator with over 18 years of expertise managing public and charitable facilities.
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Claire Elkin

Claire has a background in leisure, recruitment, sales & marketing, data analysis & IT.
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Toby Gardner

Toby is a graduate from Nottingham Trent University in Psychology with Counselling Bsc. He joined Max Associates in 2024.
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Sarah Gilvey

Sarah has over 10 years’ experience as a Finance Manager and manages the accounts and payroll for Max Associates.
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Team Testimonials

“I would not hesitate to recommend Max Associates to other areas who are on a similar journey. The team have significant experience of supporting Councils and Leisure Trusts through the SOPM process, and their input and support has strengthened our ability to develop a strong and viable Leisure Transformation vision which will benefit our community for many years to come.”

Lyndsey Sims
Hyndburn Leisure Trust

“Kirsty and Lisa, directors of Max Associates, were a pleasure to work with. Their support on this project has been invaluable and their expertise guided us to the right outcomes for the Council and the wider local community. Their planned approach and foresight of potential issues during the process ensured we delivered a thorough process within the required timescales.”

Rachel Biles
Cotswold District Council

“We couldn’t be happier with the support and commitment from the Max team, all technically and professionally excellent, this was crucial in our long-term project with difficult challenges. Just so nice and such a good and enjoyable team to work with. They really do capture and embrace the client’s key issues and concerns and are exceptional, in the quality of support, their knowledge and expertise and the respect and high regard they are held in across the wider leisure industry.”

Sue Drummond
Buckinghamshire Council

“The level of detail in the financial analysis was impressive. The report has been taken forward to decision-makers and is regarded as a solid piece of work upon which implementation of leisure developments may be based. Lisa and her colleagues remained flexible, approachable and highly committed to the project throughout. I would recommend Max’s services to any other council looking for delivery of similar projects.”

Michael Walker
Trafford Council

“I would highly recommend Max Associates for their technical knowledge, structured approach and more importantly, their ability to successfully engage with a wide range of stakeholders. Lisa demonstrated an excellent understanding of the political context and was able to provide a flexible approach to inspire confidence and deliver results.”

Claire Walker
Middlesbrough Council

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