Did you know that Belgravia is more than just leisure? Belgravia Group is a dynamic, family-owned business founded by Geoff Lord across industries such as health and fitness, tourism, property, finance and more across Australia and New Zealand. 

While Belgravia Leisure is where many of us make our mark in our communities, our group is bursting with many incredible business units you might not know of…yet! That’s why we’re on a mission to introduce you to the amazing leaders behind them. 

Meet Mark Collins, who’s worked in the leisure and aquatics industry for the past 23 years. A lifelong sports enthusiast, he always dreamed of turning his passion into a career. Mark studied Sports Management alongside Kris Miller, Belgravia Leisure’s GM Operations for VIC, TAS & QLD and Kara Monaghan, VIC & TAS Senior Business Operations Manager.

His first role was with the YMCA, where he managed a two-court stadium with a small gym, squash courts and an outdoor seasonal pool in South West Victoria. He then moved to Melbourne to pursue more opportunities, taking on various roles with the City of Yarra. Mark later moved to Glen Eira City Council, overseeing the launch of Glen Eira Sports and Aquatic Centre, bringing a number of other leisure assets for in house management and eventually taking on responsibility for the Recreation and Parks departments. 

In 2018, Mark joined Belgravia Group to start a new division focused on private swim schools, which evolved into Belgravia Kids Swim Group.

“Belgravia Kids Swim Group’s core business is swimming lessons for young children, though we also offer adult lessons, special needs classes, and some school lessons and pool hire options. We operate five company-owned venues and are the franchisor for 55 franchised sites across our network. 

“What sets us apart is the boutique nature of our venues, offering only two to three classes at a time with class sizes of four to six students, ensuring individual attention for every child,” Mark explained. 

“There’s plenty of growth ahead for Belgravia Kids Swim Group. We have 25 franchised sites at various stages of development and are selling one to two new franchises every month. We’re also updating and implementing new systems to help scale and improve business consistency and launching new training initiatives to respond to franchisee needs and improve the onboarding of new franchisees,” Mark said. 

One of Mark’s proudest achievements was the acquisition of the Jump franchise network in 2019, which occurred under very difficult circumstances. 

“The previous franchisor had gone into liquidation and there had been unethical and criminal behaviours involved. Since taking over, the network has more than doubled in size, and we’ve been able to earn the trust of franchisees and grow the business with new franchisees. It’s been a rewarding journey for all,” Mark concluded. 

Stay tuned as we spotlight more of our incredible leaders and help you discover the heart of the Belgravia Group. 

• Explore our career opportunities. 
• Learn more about our people.