Sarah Podesta has been in the spotlight a lot lately – and with good reason.  

Not only did she recently take home the award of Support Superstar at the 2025 Belgravia Leisure Awards, but her transformative leadership in water safety, inclusion and innovation is turning industry heads across Australia. 

As National Product Growth Manager for Aquatics at Belgravia Leisure, Sarah has spearheaded major initiatives like the national GOswim program, the Float to Survive campaign (which delivered critical floating lessons to over 250,000 lessons to 60,000+ students across 80 venues in one month), and the Learn to Swim Winter Retention schedule. She’s also united councils and emergency services through the Mornington Peninsula Water Safety Alliance and a Cross Council Working Group to address Victoria’s highest drowning rates.

Sarah’s the heartbeat behind Belgravia Leisure’s National GOswim program. She initiated the Float to Survive campaign in 2024 which went on to generate 270K impressions, 27 media articles and a 20% boost in water safety knowledge amongst participating students. Sarah even brought Hoppo from Bondi Rescue to Yawa Aquatic Centre, The Rex Barossa Aquatic & Fitness, Whitlam Leisure Centre and Albany Creek Leisure Centre to help spread the message. 

During a major restructure, Sarah embraced change and developed the GOswim Commercial Metrics, helping venues optimise retention and occupancy. During this time she also received two team member of the month awards and built strong cross-team relationships. 

Kara Monaghan, Senior Business Operations Manager, praised Sarah’s strategic brilliance and commitment to community wellbeing.  

“Sarah drives systemic change, raises our industry profile, wins tenders and ensures our teams are equipped to deliver life-saving outcomes.” 

Her influence doesn’t stop there: Sarah also helped establish the Mornington Peninsula Water Safety Alliance and launched a first-of-its kind Cross Council Working Group (Bass Coast and Mornington Peninsula) uniting five councils, emergency services, Life Saving Victoria and community groups to tackle Victoria’s highest drowning rates. She also developed and implemented the Pilot Open Water Program at Keilor East Leisure Centre and rolled out the Learn to Swim Winter Retention schedule to keep kids engaged with swimming year-round. 

A natural leader, Sarah represented Belgravia Leisure at the Inland Waterways Forum this year, was appointed to the Safety Leadership Circle, was a recipient of the Change Our Game scholarship and graduated from the Foundations of Directorship Governance program. 

With her fingerprints on every major aquatic initiative, Sarah has positively impacted communities by serving on key industry bodies including the Learn to Swim Steering Committee (Life Saving Victoria), the Play it Safe by the Water Committee (Life Saving Victoria) and the Aquatic Education Industry and Engagement Council (AEIEC). She also participated in the RLSSA Alcohol and Risk-Taking Workshop. 

Sarah doesn’t just support, she transforms. From national campaigns to grassroots partnerships, her work is a blueprint for how strategic leadership, community collaboration and a passion for safety can create lasting change in the lives of others. Learn more about our GOswim program here.

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