Speakers Microsite
Meet our speakers
Main Stage
Geoff Bamber
Founder, Digme Fitness and Director, Clava
Geoff Bamber
Digme Fitness / Clava
Katya Creed (she/her)
Chief of Staff, London Climbing Centres
Katya has worked in the climbing industry since 2011 and is currently Chief of Staff at London Climbing Centres. Her role spans recruitment, people development, events, partnerships and operational support across the London region.
She has hired and helped train and develop over 200 staff, working closely with managers on recruitment, onboarding, internal progression and team culture. She is particularly interested in how clearer leadership pathways, better management support and stronger workplace culture can improve retention and protect the future of the industry.
Katya Creed
London Climbing Centres
Andrew Denton (he/him)
CEO, Outdoor Industries Association
Andrew has been working in outdoor recreation and sport since 1984, with brands such as Rohan, Mountain Equipment, Sprayway, Ronhill and more. He was co-owner of Mountain Equipment & Ronhill Sports where he worked for 17 years, and was, until recently, co-owner of Parthian Climbing. Since 2012 Andrew has focused on the non-profit sector. He is CEO of the Outdoor Industries Association who represent the UK Outdoor sector to government and across the world and he was a founding Director of ‘Opening Up The Outdoors’ which aims to increase diversity in the outdoors in Europe.
Andrew Denton
Outdoor Industries Association
Sam Foakes (he/him)
Head of Delivery North and Midlands West, Lawn Tennis Association
Sam is Head of Delivery for the North and Midlands West at the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), leading the delivery of the organisation’s strategy across the region, managing regional teams, and working with key partners to grow participation and improve facilities. His current remit includes overseeing the development of local tennis and padel infrastructure, helping to expand accessible, high-quality playing opportunities within communities.
Prior to joining the LTA in 2014, Sam worked in cycling development with British Cycling, helping to grow participation and community engagement programmes. He has also led community activation initiatives around major sporting events, maximising participation and local impact alongside elite competition. A former elite BMX Flatland athlete, Sam reached World No. 1 in 2008.
Sam Foakes
Lawn Tennis Association
Jack Griffiths (he/him)
Director & CEO, Flashpoint Climbing Group
Jack is the Director and CEO of Flashpoint Climbing Group, a collection of five climbing walls and activity centres across the South West and South Wales.
Originally from London, Jack discovered climbing at the age of 14 through the kids’ club at The Castle Climbing Centre. Since then, he has built a lifelong career and passion in the climbing industry. He holds the Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor qualification and is a provider for the Climbing Wall Instructor and Bouldering Wall Instructor awards. Over the years, Jack has gained extensive hands-on experience across all aspects of climbing wall operations, including route setting, reception, instruction, and management.
Recently completing a Master of Business Administration (MBA), Jack is excited to combine his academic learning with his industry experience to support the ABC and help to deliver value to its members and the wider climbing community.
Jack Griffiths
Flashpoint Climbing Group
Nick Hall
CEO, Go Ape
At Go Ape we seek to create adventures and encourage everyone to live life more adventurously and it has been a privilege to be part of the Go Ape family since 2013 as Group Finance Director, UK Managing Director and a Go Ape USA Board Director.
Over the last 13 years I have been part of a fantastic team at Go Ape who have grown its customer numbers from 600,000 to over 1 million each year and expanded the number of adventure activities we operate around the UK to over 100 across 36 locations.
It's been a great adventure involving not only the expansion of Go Ape's adventure business in the UK, roll-out of our Go Ape USA business to 17 locations, the establishment of a UK trampolining business in 2013, becoming an employee-owned company in 2021 and launching the Go Ape Foundation in 2024 to help people overcome financial challenges to access adventure.
I also sit on the Advisory Board of Courtside Hubs, a community interest company dedicated to increasing physical activity and promoting community through the transformation of local parks in England.
Before Go Ape I spent over 15 years with KPMG Corporate Finance in London gaining experience in strategic reviews, business planning, debt and equity fundraisings, restructuring, acquisitions & disposals and joint ventures for a wide range of UK and International companies and private equity investors.
Nick Hall
Go Ape
Kath Hipwell (she/her)
CEO, Association of British Climbing Walls
Kath is passionate about sport and its powerful positive impact on the body and mind. She has loved the mountains and climbing since she was a child and is now enjoying introducing her own children to her friendly local wall, NICAS and the outdoors.
Kath is responsible for the development and execution of the ABC’s strategy: working with the board and partners to promote the professionalism, health, growth and diversity of indoor climbing.
Kath Hipwell
ABC
George Lonsdale (he/him)
Professional Routesetter & Climbing Event Presenter
George is a staple now on the UK climbing scene. He’s the host of many of the major comps here on home turf, and is the “go to” for interviewing climbers and athletes from across the industry. George has worked in the outdoor industry for the past 15 years and as the head routesetter of a major climbing wall chain and as an advocate for diversity and inclusion in our industry and customer base, offers vital extra insight into the topics we’ll be talking about.
George Lonsdale
Routesetter & event presenter
Danaan Markey (he/him)
CEO, Pro Climbing League
Danaan Markey is the CEO of the Pro Climbing League (PCL), a new competition series that launched its debut event in London and is now expanding internationally. He has climbed for nearly 20 years and spent 15 of those working across the climbing industry in various roles including coaching, routesetting and marketing, giving him a ground-up view of how the sport grows. He leads PCL's mission to grow participation by building a professional league that brings new audiences to climbing and strengthens the wider ecosystem.
Danaan Markey
Pro Climbing League
Mike McDonald (he/him)
Managing Director, KPMG Corporate Finance
Mike co-leads KPMG's UK Consumer, Travel & Leisure M&A team and has been advising businesses for more than 20 years. He has extensive experience providing strategic advice to founders and companies across the indoor and outdoor activity sector - including treetop adventure, zip lining, trampolining, wall climbing, competitive socialising, indoor sports, children's soft play, theme parks and waterparks.
Mike McDonald
KPMG
Garnet Moore (he/him)
Executive Director, Climbing Wall Association (USA)
Garnet Moore is the Executive Director of the Climbing Wall Association (CWA), with 20 years of experience in the outdoor and climbing industries from retail to manufacturing to operations to regulatory affairs.
Since joining the CWA in 2019, Garnet has served as Director of Operations, Director of Standards and Regulatory Affairs, and Interim Executive Director, guiding the industry through the challenges of the pandemic before being named Executive Director in 2023. He oversees the CWA's work in advocacy, industry standards development, professional certification, research, and the annual CWA Summit
Garnet is passionate about ensuring that climbing facilities of all sizes have the resources they need to thrive while preserving climbing’s culture of independence, whimsy, adventure, and personal responsibility.
Garnet Moore
Climbing Wall Association (USA)
Mary-Ann Ochota (she/her)
Broadcaster
Mary-Ann Ochota is a professional broadcaster, author and Patron of the British Mountaineering Council. She is Chair of the Protected Landscapes Partnership and President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
Mary-Ann Ochota
Broadcaster & author
Louis Parkinson (he/him)
Managing Director & Head Coach, Catalyst Climbing
Louis has been climbing for over twenty years and coaching professionally for more than a decade. He has competed nationally and internationally, representing Great Britain in the 2015 climbing world cup. In 2017, he founded Catalyst Climbing, which has grown into one of the world’s leading climbing coaching organisations, working with thousands of climbers of all ages and abilities – including athletes who have gone on to join the GB junior climbing team. Through his popularity on YouTube and Instagram, Louis has become widely known for his work on climbing performance and mindset.
Louis Parkinson
Catalyst Coaching
Rebecca Ting (she/her)
Director, Women's Climbing Symposium
Rebecca discovered climbing in the Army Reserves and it rapidly took over her life. Rebecca has been involved in the Women's Climbing Symposium since 2015, helped found Grimpeuses in 2017 and was part of the BMC Organisational Review Group in 2018. She is also a Part-time Editor for UKC and Rockfax.
Favourite adventures to date include multipitch trad in Anti-Atlas Morocco and Wadi Rum, skimo in the Rockies and canyoneering in Utah.
Rebecca Ting
Women’s Climbing Symposium
Jonas Rave
Founder, Heligo Group
Jonas set up the Heligo Group in 2025 to build a community of businesses, including gyms, manufacturers (holds, walls, training equipment, accessories, apparel), and suppliers (distributors, eCommerce platforms) that support both each other and the climbing community at large. Before Heligo, Jonas spent his career investing in and helping grow businesses in the UK and Europe across various sectors.
Jonas Rave
Heligo Group
Breakout sessions
Simon Ager (he/him)
Managing Director, The Pinnacle Centres and Clip ‘n Climb Northampton
Patrick brings over 14 years’ experience, combining specialist employment law expertise with hands-on HR business partnering across a wide range of sectors.
He is passionate about building strong, lasting relationships with clients and stakeholders, working collaboratively to deliver pragmatic solutions that support commercial success while effectively managing risk. Patrick is known for communicating complex legal and HR issues in clear, accessible language, and regularly delivers seminars across the UK on employment law and workplace issues, helping organisations build confidence in navigating challenges.
With a strong blend of legal knowledge and HR insight, Patrick enables organisations to achieve both immediate results and longer-term strategic goals, supporting sustainable growth.
Simon Ager
Pinnacle Climbing
Patrick Carroll-Fogg (he/him)
Employment Law Specialist and Engagement Lead, WorkNest
Patrick brings over 14 years’ experience, combining specialist employment law expertise with hands-on HR business partnering across a wide range of sectors.
He is passionate about building strong, lasting relationships with clients and stakeholders, working collaboratively to deliver pragmatic solutions that support commercial success while effectively managing risk. Patrick is known for communicating complex legal and HR issues in clear, accessible language, and regularly delivers seminars across the UK on employment law and workplace issues, helping organisations build confidence in navigating challenges.
With a strong blend of legal knowledge and HR insight, Patrick enables organisations to achieve both immediate results and longer-term strategic goals, supporting sustainable growth.
Patrick Carroll-Fogg
WorkNest
Sarah Castor-Perry (she/her)
Director, Kernel Coaching & Consulting
Sarah is a certified ADHD/AuDHD coach, and experienced facilitator and consultant.
Since her own late ADHD diagnosis in 2023, she has been on a journey that has seen her leave her decade-long corporate career and found a business dedicated to helping neurodivergent individuals thrive, whether that’s through 1:1 coaching, or transforming the working environments they exist in through workshops, training & supervision, and in-depth support to becoming more neurodiversity-friendly.
She’s worked with clients across the UK and across sectors, from the food and drink industry to professional services and legal sector.
Sarah Castor-Perry
Kernel Coaching
Dan Crossdale
Group General Manager, Depot Climbing
Dan Crossdale is the General Manager of Depot Climbing. Having started climbing in secondary school, Dan began working in the climbing industry as an instructor in 2008 and has been involved with every element of running centres from initial development through to Management.
Dan has been involved with the ABC for 14 years and has developed a passion for Health and Safety across the sector. He believes there is scope for innovation within this area and hopes to bring the sector together to see progress for the betterment of all gyms.
Dan Crossdale
Depot Climbing
Miura Hawkins (she/her)
CEO, BETA Climbing
Miura has been involved in the climbing world since she tied her first figure eight at the age of six. She has been a team kid, birthday party belayer, front desk employee, setter, coach, IFSC World Cup competitor, and gym owner. She studied Neuroscience and Machine Learning at Johns Hopkins University and ETH Zürich and worked for almost a decade in the fintech industry before founding BETA Climbing to unite her passions for climbing and data. She lives in Aix-en-Provence, France with her husband and cat.
Your members are telling you something before they leave, are you listening? Using data from across the industry, we'll identify the key moments that make or break retention, giving you practical, high-impact wins to improve your bottom line.
Miura Hawkins
BETA Climbing
Cailean Harker (he/him)
Co-founder, Impact Route Setting
Cailean is co-founder of Impact Route Setting and has worked across the route setting industry for more than 15 years. Having started as part of an in-house setting team, he went on to become a leading freelance route setter, working commercially across the UK and at national-level events and held setting management roles at several state-of-the-art climbing centres.
Cailean’s approach is driven by a genuine love of route setting and a dedication to continually improving the craft. He believes that investing in people, sharing knowledge and creating clear pathways for progression are essential to the long-term development of route setting. Alongside his work in training and development, Cailean continues to set commercially and at major events, remaining closely connected to the practical challenges faced by setters and climbing centres.
Cailean Harker
Impact Route Setting
Graeme Hill (he/him)
Mountaineering Instructor and Technical Expert
Graeme Hill is Mountaineering Instructor and Technical Expert in accessible climbing activities. He has been delivering the Climbing for All course for over 20 years. He cofounded the GB paraclimbing team with the BMC and has sat on many panels advising on access including the BMC Equity Steering Group and IOL Accessible Outdoor Learning committee. He was recently appointed as a trustee of the Association of Mountaineering Instructors and lead of the Equity Diversity and Inclusion group.
Graeme Hill
Instructor and Technical Expert
Guy Jarvis (he/him)
Executive Officer, Mountain Training England
Prior to holding this post he was a Director of Undercover Rock in Bristol, the first plywood climbing wall in the world! He was responsible for a team of 25 indoor and outdoor climbing instructors and was the founding Chair of NICAS, as well as a technical advisor to the sector and provider of MTE qualifications.
Guy Jarvis
Mountain Training
Joe Lewis
Head of Activities and Leisure, Rock UK Summit Centre
Joe is a passionate climber dedicated to introducing new people to the sport and developing those within it to reach their potential whatever that looks like. He currently is the Head of Activities and Leisure at Rock UK Summit Centre, South Wales developing the climbing pathways for both adults and young people. He is also a BMC volunteer for South Wales promoting indoor climbing and organiser of multiple area climbing competitions.
Joe Lewis
Rock UK Summit Centre
Ged MacDomhnaill
Founder and CEO, The Climbing Hangar
Founder and CEO of The Climbing Hangar, co-founder of the Women’s Climbing Symposium, creator of the UK’s biggest UV Climbing Competition and party and the first UK Climbing company to introduce private equity into the industry – Ged’s industry CV is diverse and only just getting going.
Ged is passionate about protecting what’s precious in our climbing culture while it evolves with the times, a flux often seen as conflict but something he believes can benefit both our crags and our sport.
Ged MacDomhnaill
The Climbing Hangar
Gracie Martin (she/her)
Co-founder, The Movement Routesetting
Gracie is Co-founder of The Movement Routesetting, an online education platform dedicated to raising standards and supporting the professional development of routesetters. Having worked as a routesetter across the UK and Europe for over 10 years, Gracie has developed a strong understanding of the industry from both commercial and competition perspectives.
Gracie believes that high-quality education should be accessible throughout a routesetter's career, not just at the point of entry. Her work focuses on bringing together experienced setters from across the industry to share knowledge, encourage discussion and help develop the next generation of routesetters.
Gracie Martin
The Movement Routesetting
Joby Maw Davis
Technical Expert
Joby Maw Davis
Technical Expert
Nate McMullan (he/him)
Managing Director, TruBlue Technologies Europe & UK
Nate McMullan
TruBlue Technologies
Helen Murphy (she/her)
Inclusion and Safeguarding Manager, BMC
Helen has worked in a safeguarding capacity for almost 20 years in sport. Working at a Regional and National level currently at the BMC and previously for British Gymnastics and Manchester Football Association.
Helen is passionate about creating safe and inclusive environments in sport and recreational activity with a person-centred approach. She has experience in all aspects of safeguarding from strategic to operational, compliance, education and investigation of complex safeguarding concerns.
She is considered an expert in her field and works collaboratively with sector partners ABC, NICAS and Mountain Training.
Helen Murphy
BMC
Pete Nellist
Pete is the Climbing Development Officer for Active Stirling in Scotland, a sports trust for the Stirlingshire area. He focuses on developing climbing in the local community through schools, clubs and organisations.
He has been climbing since a young age and has widely varied experience in the sector, from wall-management to outdoor instructing and summiting 6000m peaks.
Pete holds the Mountain Training Mountaineering Instructor Award and is a Ready to Rock course provider for Mountaineering Scotland.
Pete Nellist
ABC Board
Emma Perera
Employmewnt Lawyer and Independent Director (Legal), ABC
Emma Perera is an employment lawyer who is passionate about climbing and supporting the ABC with its aim of promoting the professionalism, health and growth of indoor climbing.
Emma joined the ABC as a Legal Non-Executive Director in 2021 to provide support and guidance to the ABC both in relation to its own operations and its work within the climbing community. When she is not climbing at the walls in East London she likes to run away to the hills for long days out hiking.
Emma Perera
ABC Board
Stephen Skinner
Product Manager and Head of Coach Development, NICAS
Stephen “Skinner” Skinner is Product Manager and Head of Coach Development at NICAS, as well as a Performance Coach with GB Climbing. With over two decades of coaching and operational experience, Stephen has worked with climbers at every level, from grassroots participation to international competition. As Product Manager, he has played a key role in the development of the Wild Climbers, Clip and Ascend schemes. In his role as Head of Coach Development, he has trained more than 1,000 coaches around the world, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to inspire the next generation of climbers.
Stephen Skinner
NICAS
Jamie Smith (he/him)
ClimbScotland Development Manager, Mountaineering Scotland
Jamie has served as Safeguarding Lead at Mountaineering Scotland for the past 13 years, working closely with Children First to strengthen safeguarding policies, procedures, and best practice across the sport. He has also supported and mentored other Scottish Governing Bodies in developing their own safeguarding frameworks and represents Mountaineering Scotland on the national Safeguarding Working Group.
With more than 20 years’ experience working with young people across youth work, secondary education, and climbing clubs, Jamie brings extensive expertise to the role. A passionate climber for over 22 years, he has experience across indoor and outdoor climbing disciplines and holds CWI, CWDI, and RCI qualifications.
Jamie Smith
Mountaineering Scotland
Dean Straw
CEO, Develop Through Challenge
Dean is the CEO of Develop Through Challenge, the charity that operates Mile End Climbing Wall, one of the UK’s first dedicated indoor climbing centres.
Before working in the climbing sector, Dean’s background was in Youth & Community work. His safeguarding knowledge is born from years of experience and practical application in this field. He is no expert, but an experienced amateur with a desire to see young people protected from harm. Alongside his work with Develop Through Challenge and Mile End Climbing Wall, he has worked as lead Trustee for Safeguarding with the ABC Training Trust (NICAS), and as the ABC Director with the same remit.
He has been a climber and climbing coach for 25+ years and is proud to lead such an amazing team at DtC and Mile End Climbing Wall.
Dean Straw
Develop Through Challenge
Tom Vaessen-Walker
Interim Managing Director, NICAS
Tom Vaessen-Walker is Interim Managing Director of NICAS, bringing more than 25 years of experience across climbing coaching, multisite wall operations, large-scale events, route setting and strategic development. Having previously overseen the UK's largest NICAS programme, Tom is passionate about growing participation, supporting climbing walls and coaches, and ensuring young people have access to high-quality climbing education.
Tom Vaessen-Walker
NICAS
Ian Walton
Emily Vermont, Founder, Indirock
Emily Vermont is founder and CEO of Indirock, a non-profit bouldering wall and coffee shop in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Indirock opened in Spring 2022 with three clear aims: to make bouldering accessible to as many people as possible; to provide training and work opportunities to vulnerable young people; and to be part of the regeneration of Southend City Centre. Before Indirock, Emily co-founded a prison music charity called Finding Rhythms, which she ran between 2012 and 2017, and then worked for the School for Social Entrepreneurs. In 2023 she also co-founded Big Up Southend, a monthly makers market inside Indirock's building. Emily sits on a handful of boards and this year was recognised as one of the top 100 female founders in Small Business Britain's f:entrepreneur campaign, and top 100 women in social enterprise in the WISE100.
Emily Vermont
Indirock
David Watson
Climbing Wall Manager, University of Hertfordshire
David had a successful career as an insurance professional for many years before deciding to work in the climbing industry. A keen climber since a teenager, he has managed to combine his business skills with his passion for climbing to embark on a second career.
He now runs the climbing wall at the University of Hertfordshire and helps represent the interests of smaller walls and individual members.
He has a wealth of experience working with youth groups together with commercial expertise in brand building, strategic partnerships and business acquisition.
David Watson
University of Hertfordshire
Ian Walton
Independent Director (Treasurer), ABC Board
Ian’s background is in accountancy, followed by a period teaching maths, and then back into accountancy in business change management, leading finance functions through periods of change or challenge.
He became involved in climbing and comps in particular when his kids took up climbing, holding various positions as comps chairs and is an IFSC accredited judge.
Ian Walton
ABC Board
