Meet the New Swim Ontario Board of Directors

Swim Ontario has two new members of the Board of Directors for the 2025-2026 season. Today we meet Mark Thompson!

Every day, both the promise and commitment quite likely stay the same for Mark R. Thompson.

As an individual with strong ideas and having sown the seeds to create ambitious programs, Thompson has a phenomenal capacity to pursue improvements in many ways.

Add on his remarkable ability to turn possibilities into realities. His diligence, experience and background confirm this.

One for successfully engaging in professional relationships, there are some people who would describe Thompson as a consultant or an executive sports leadership coach. Others see him as a visionary.

As President and Chief Engagement Officer of McKinley Solutions, he describes his company as being an “innovative training and skills development organization focused on performance improvement”.

Got it?

People won’t find much resistance when working with Thompson. It’s quite the opposite – and that speaks to his impressive list of accomplishments.

Born just outside of Montreal, and educated at Bishop’s University, he has worked with sport organizations, large and small, from operational to governance and strategic excellence. All of this in the important areas that include leadership, governance and operational excellence, team of development and communication skills.

While managing solutions is his forte, his expertise is in the areas of team and leadership development, program facilitation, and innovative instructional design. Speaking nationally at events, Thompson – known for his high energy and engaging passion style - is a very busy guy.

Thompson does his job so well, that he’s in constant demand. As a member of several Boards, including Wheelchair Rugby and the Culinary Federation, Thompson is also President of the Oakville Aquatic Club. Somehow, he has devoted a great deal of time over the years to become a leader in teambuilding and motivation.

If that isn’t enough, how about Thompson as an Ironman triathlete, an advocate for youth mental health, cancer fundraiser, gardener, woodworker and foodie.

So how does swimming fit into his busy portfolio?

Being an enthusiast, Thompson saw an opening for a Board member at Swim Ontario. Since he has been around the swimming pool quite a bit with family commitments, and a coach for 14 years, he was willing to examine ways to strengthen the largest provincial swim organization in Canada.

So, he put his name forward.

With his university degree in business, human resources and management, Thompson was chosen to serve a three-year term, joining a team of eight other experienced and knowledgeable individuals in the role of governance as a member of the Board of Directors for Swim Ontario.

“Swim Ontario gave my kids a great foundation – passion, discipline skills and so much more,” said Thompson, who along with his wife are parents to 20 and 18-year-old young men, who are varsity and swim club members. “With volunteerism tanking in Ontario and across Canada, there is a need for people, not for their own agenda, but to always find ways to improve things.”

The 50-year-old Thompson, who in his teen years focussed on team leadership in high school, swam for recreation but admits to never being an elite swimmer. His focus has always been on wanting to find ways to move higher, and the pointer beyond excellence.

“I just like being in front of people, helping and looking for ways to contribute in a positive manner,” he said. “My dad was a professor, and my mom was a teacher.”

“I have experience, teach governance for other sports and know Swim Ontario has great Board members who are always wanting to be better,” he said. “I like to build solid foundations with others, do it with passion and am proud of what we have done at the Oakville Aquatic Club – good leadership, a grown organization and one of the best run clubs in Ontario.

“We all like to be creative and not sit idle. Youth and health mean a great deal to me. The way I see it, it should always be about finding the best path forward for people – to give back. The world needs more people doing that.”

David Grossman is a veteran multi award-winning Journalist and Broadcaster with some of Canada’s major media, including the Toronto Star and SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN, and a Public Relations professional for 50+ years in Canadian sports and Government relations.