BUSINESS
A life in sport by MDHUB Member Duncan Kerr, CEO of Wave Leisure Trust
LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY FROM A CHAMPION SQUASH PLAYER The best books and films tell the story of a character overcoming an impossible obstacle despite all the odds. The truth of a character is revealed in the choices they make. Duncan Kerr’s story encapsulates this sentiment, a leader who started life as a young boy from Dunfermline in Fife with big dreams of an international sporting career.
learn so much from people outside my own sector”. Duncan reflected on his career chapter as a squash player and his current role as CEO for Wave Leisure Trust. “I always played better for Scotland than I played for myself - an interesting point when you apply that to my work.”
Duncan found “his home to be in sport” and at the age of 14, set his goal to play full International squash for Scotland “My dream was to be in the adult team and I did that aged 18, I obviously didn’t dream big enough”.
Duncan always asked ‘what next?’ even at that vulnerable point. The ‘what next?’ was Heriot-Watt University, to coach and train squash players which led to him setting up the Scottish Squash Academy. His lucky break came after failing to get an Assistant Director of Sport job in Edinburgh and successfully applying for Director of Sport at the University of Reading.
Recalling one key performance during the World Championships in Australia ensured that dream was fulfilled. “I still remember the winning point – I stood there thinking ‘wtf just happened?’” Stretching your ability by training with players better than yourself is a life lesson that he has maintained. “Today, I
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Duncan’s competitive squash career came to an end at the age of 23 when a congenital heart defect started to impact on his fitness. “I didn’t want to dabble, I needed to be able to commit totally or not at all so after an honest conversation with my consultant, I went home and put my racket in the wardrobe. If I’m honest, it was a very sad point in my life, one day I was playing in the world championships and the next, I was a part-time barman.”
Duncan receiving the award for the Most Innovative MD from Bill Taylor of Design Specific
The squash court has provided many lessons for Duncan which has shaped his approach to life. “In sport, winning demands performance, often on the
