From winning golds to going green: our Athletes Leadership Placement Programme

The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games gave us a brilliant – and fantastically successful - summer of sport. Bringing home 189 medals between them, Team GB and ParalympicsGB really made us proud.

And we’re thrilled to say that our partnership with Team GB and ParalympicsGB continues strongly even now the Paris 2024 Games are over. As part of the landmark five-year deal, we’ve created the Athletes Leadership Placement Programme (ALLPP).

What is the Athletes Leadership Placement Programme?

We know that elite sports professionals are highly skilled and have so much to offer in the workplace. However, even though many of their skills are both valuable and transferable, it can be difficult to make that transition. Often, it’s a challenge to know even where to begin, especially when entering a new sector.

We want to smooth this path for high performing athletes because we understand how their diversity of experience can contribute directly to our need for a Green Skills Workforce. By supporting them, it helps to fulfil our purpose of energising a greener, fairer future.

How we’re supporting athletes

The Athletes Leadership Placement Programme is an extension of the Centrica Armed Forces Pathway, which aims to hire at least 500 ex-forces leavers by 2026, and offers:

• A paid 9-month placement in a company that’s leading the energy transition
• Support with applications
• Direct industry experience, learned on the job
• A competitive salary, depending on experience
• Flexible working thanks to our ‘FlexFirst’ approach
• A dedicated buddy and mentor
• The potential of a full-time role after the placement

Meet the athletes

In October 2024, we were thrilled to welcome the first seven athletes to take part in the programme who’ll be working in roles across the business. These include Stephen Miller MBE, one of ParalympicsGB’s most decorated athletes ever with six medals from seven games in club and discuss, and former English rugby union player and hammer thrower Shaunagh Brown, who returns to British Gas having trained and worked as an engineer with us from 2010 to 2015.

What appealed to you about this programme?

It’s unique. I think it’s really hard for sportspeople to find a new role when they come to the end of their career. That’s especially true for me because I had a very long career in sport, with over 25 years as a professional athlete. It’s a bit like being 18 and trying to decide what to do at university or as a job.

Was it a difficult application process?

I heard about it in an email from ParalympicsGB and went to a webinar to find out more and it sounded really positive, so I decided to apply for three roles. I managed to get two interviews and was pretty happy about that. They were both in the same week so that was quite tough – but I got a lot of help.

What support did you get with your application?

I hadn't applied for a job for quite a few years, but Centrica helped me to get my CV up to scratch and do interview prep. I had a lot of support from the head of the Armed Forces Pathway - she was really helpful and very accessible. She gave me a lot of valuable advice about my CV and which roles to apply for and helped me structure my covering letter. On top of that, I had some support from my sport’s governing body and UK sport.

How have you found it so far?

I spent my first week at the head office in Windsor where we had four days of onboarding alongside the graduate programme - a great opportunity to network. We met some of the senior leadership team too, which was really cool. Since then I've been getting to know my team and doing a lot of shadowing.

How are you settling in with your team - has anyone been starstruck, given all your achievements?

I’ve spoken to them all individually but not met everyone in person yet. Most people have wanted to know more about what I did in the Paralympics rather than talking about work! But I'm sure that'll change over time once people get used to it and realise that I'm just a normal human being like everybody else.

Just with a few more medals! Is this role very different to where you’ve worked before?

I studied Business Information Systems at university and then worked part-time alongside my sports career as there wasn’t enough funding to become a full-time athlete. I got a placement at the hospital in Gateshead in my gap year and worked there on and off for 16 years in software development and databases. It was very technical, while my role at Centrica is change delivery management so it’s a bit different.

Are you enjoying it so far?

Yes, it's a very good challenge and everyone's very supportive. There’s a lot of information to take it in, so I’m trying to process that - and get used to working at a desk five days a week!

That must be a culture shock! Has anything surprised you about the company?

Just how big it is and how many people work here - it's a bit daunting. Also, how much autonomy we have to manage our own time. I've got a 3-year-old daughter and it’s really handy to be able to do pick-ups and drop offs. I really appreciate that flexibility.

Have you needed to ask for support and has it been forthcoming if so?

The support’s incredible from different areas of the company like the Pathway team, the Emerging Talent team and the Learning and Development team. We all get assigned a mentor and a buddy too so that’s been really helpful. And as somebody with a disability I’ve found it very supportive in terms of accessibility, making all the adjustments I need and covering the expenses to bring somebody down to Windsor to help me during my induction.

What made you decide to apply for this programme?

It was a no brainer – it’s like it had been put together with someone like me in mind so there was no way I was not going to apply for it! I loved that it recognised and wanted to capitalise on our skills and traits as athletes – like resilience, the need to learn and the ability to keep going when told you're not good enough.

Have you come across similar schemes?

I've never known anyone else to offer something like this that’s not an entry level job. So often as a retiring athlete you have to start at the bottom even if you have qualifications or a degree. I don’t but the wow factor was that it’s a leadership programme on a decent wage - I didn't have to rearrange my life around a pay cut,. I’m really impressed by the programme, and I want to shout from the rooftops about it!

You trained with British Gas – why did you want to come back to the company?

Yes, I did my apprenticeship in 2010 and stayed on as an engineer for five years. I left because the role wasn’t right for me but what always stuck with me was the support I got as an athlete - there was already an elite athlete policy in place even back then. Often there isn’t so you need to spend a lot of time asking for help, but Centrica offered paid time off for competitions, training or qualifying events.

Have you had a lot of support this time round?

I've never had an office job before, so it’s been overwhelming but my boss has been really reassuring. She recognises that I bring a lot of strengths, but I also needed help with the basics like diary invites and setting up signatures. It’s like my previous experience of British Gas, where it's the people that make the business. They make time for me as a person and put me at ease.

Has anything surprised you?

It's not a surprise but spending eight hours a day on a computer five days a week is a culture shock! I’m still finding my feet and learning how to find satisfaction in a role that doesn’t have a physical or tangible end goal, in the way that a training session or a competition does.

Are you still able to keep up with your other charity commitments, speaking engagements and coaching?

Those things mean so much to me so I’m working out how to give my time to my passions and social causes now that I can't just pop out to somebody else's event. Hopefully with Centrica’s paid volunteering days and the FlexFirst policy I’ll be able to continue empowering people, especially women, and getting them into rugby. Those are the things that my heart really stands for.

What are the main things that you've brought to this role from your sporting career?

Experience of being on the ground - one of our partnerships is Scottish Rugby and one of my pet projects is the women's team and giving them a platform, which I can speak to because as a player I've literally been in the same changing rooms as them. I know how it feels to be part of a female team that’s constantly overlooked or not been given the same benefits as men's teams. Also, my relationships and the power of my network - I'm generally good with people and getting people to like me!

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