feature
Swim on the map. The campaign was a success, driving lead generation and brand awareness.
A serendipitous opportunity
Meet SPASA Australia’s Victorian manager Daena BougoureLatchford, SPASA Australia’s business development executive for the Victorian region
D
aena Bougoure-Latchford’s connection with the Victorian swimming pool and spa industry goes all the way back to her childhood, when her father ran Peninsula Pools, a pool retailer and aboveground pool installer in Frankston. Her journey back to the industry took several years, including a lengthy stint in London. “I worked for British Airways for seven and half years in the chairman and chief executive’s offices, ghost writing customer correspondence for them, before moving into mainstream customer relations as a performance manager,” she says. After the post-911 air industry downturn, she took voluntary redundancy and moved to Scotland, working for an engineering company as a customer services manager, and then a key account manager for a large beauty wholesaler, looking after spa, salon and cosmetics groups. When she returned to Melbourne with her two young girls in tow, she continued to work in the beauty industry for the likes of Loreal.
Joining the industry
One day Chris Papa from Maytronics called her. “Chris had looked after my dad’s account back in the Poolrite days and they’d kept in contact. When Chris mentioned he was looking for an account manager my dad suggested me, knowing I was looking for something different. I met Chris for a coffee and they offered me the role as the Victorian account manager, looking after elite dealers, builders and franchises.” In 2017 Maytronics asked Bougoure-Latchford to head up the Australian launch of a new concept that would eventually be called Mineral Swim. She was sent to Israel to learn about it and when she came back she became business development manager for water treatment which included Mineral Swim, Ozone Swim and other related products in that category. “It was a fantastic role, I loved it,” she says. “It was great to be involved from inception including launching the brand in Israel at the elite dealer conference to officially launching it to the Australian trade at the SPLASH! expo. From 2018 it was really about getting out there to see every dealer nationally, training dealers and growing the brand in the marketplace.” During that time she implemented a new marketing strategy, using social media influencers to help put Mineral 30
SPLASH!
October/November 2020
In her role at Maytronics, Bougoure-Latchford dealt with many people in the industry, including SPASA Australia’s sales and marketing manager Luke Daly. “One day Luke randomly sent me a text message with a link to a new role at SPASA. I called him the next day and he told me about the opportunity and then Lindsay sold me the vision. “It was a difficult decision because I was happy at Maytronics – but I thought if I don’t take it, I’d regret it – growing SPASA Australia in Victoria was a once-in-alifetime opportunity,” she says. “I loved my role at Maytronics and was really committed to the brand, but the travel was challenging because I spent so much time away from my girls, and covid was a bit of a reset for my priorities. “It seemed like it was meant to be.” She says SPASA Australia already had over a hundred members in Victoria, but they had all been acquired organically, through people approaching the organisation. Her new role involves growing the membership and helping them grow their businesses. “SPASA Australia is a really dynamic organisation and we have so many fantastic benefits we can deliver to the industry here. On the second day I started I was already on a call with Business Victoria and eight MPs putting forward the story of why the industry should be able to continue working. “And even through we’re a national association, we can have a big impact locally, representing the industry across local, state and federal jurisdictions. We sit on 24 national standards, and even though we haven’t had a presence on the ground in Victoria, we have always been invested in helping Victoria.” She says that in her first six weeks they’ve been working hard to keep the advocacy up. “We’ve been very proactive, and I hope the industry can see how committed we are to supporting Victoria – whether you’re a builder, retailer, pool tech, sub-contractor or a fencer, we’re here for everyone and its exciting that the industry now has a choice.” She believes that professionalism and standards can be improved, and SPASA Australia has a big role to play in that. “One of the things that attracted me to SPASA Australia is the commitment to education and improving industry standards. We have so many fantastic things we can deliver on education and training so the industry can become more professional, with IRLearning and the Cert III and IV for retailers and Cert IV for Building & Construction for example. “One of the things I constantly get asked about is that it’s so difficult to find staff, and having people consider the industry as a professional career with pathways for development. If we can improve standards within the industry it will be so much easier to retain talent.” She is keen to engage with members and learn what their problems are so she can offer solutions to improve their businesses. “I’m really looking forward to getting out supporting the industry and helping our members grow their businesses. The goal is for more pools to be built and for the pools to be enjoyed more and used more. “Ultimately, more pool owners that have had a great experience with our industry will only benefit us all.” n Contact: daena@spasa.com.au; 0452 366 856.