As Nikki Gibson settles into her role as British Curling’s Head of Performance Services on a permanent basis, the symbolism of the timing is not lost on her.
Seconded from sportscotland over the past two years, confirmation of her position has come during Scottish Women and Girls in Sport week and Gibson believes her appointment to a role that is key to enabling medal-winning performances at World Championships, Olympic and Paralympic Games can help demonstrate the importance of improving gender balance within leadership teams.
“This is a week which provides an opportunity for us to reflect on the progress made but also the strides that still have to be made to bridge the gender gap in sport in terms of participation and also leadership and coaching roles,” she observed. 
“It is also a great opportunity to talk about increasing the visibility of female role models, encourage leadership in sport and highlight the wide range of benefits that being active brings (in terms of physical, mental and social health). “
In British Curling, which supports a gender balanced cohort of athletes in men’s, women’s and mixed doubles disciplines in both its Olympic and Paralympic programmes, she believes she has joined an exemplary organisation.
“The barriers to women in leadership are well known, documented and understood, but instead of focussing on them, we need gender balance within leadership teams to ensure that the environments we shape lend themselves to developing successful leaders, irrespective of gender and there is equal opportunity across both.,” said Gibson.
“At British Curling, we have developed a Senior Leadership Team with an equal gender balance and building confidence within our female workforce through mentorship, networking and exposure to experience is critical for us to develop not only ourselves, but the next generation of female leaders.
“We also need to understand how we can identify talent within that workforce and utilise the system to shape and grow these women, alongside our male allies.”
Her time already spent working with British Curling also means she has a full understanding of the relationships that have been cultivated with partner organisations in order to support that positive environment as she seeks to maximise the impact of integrated performance support services (sports science, sports medicine, performance lifestyle and related disciplines) to Scotland and Great Britain teams within the programme.
“The collaborative approach across UK Sport, the National Lottery, sportscotland and Sport England is absolutely integral to the success of British Curling,” Gibson noted.
“The financial resources are, of course, crucial in allowing us to perform on the world stage, but just as important is the knowledge, expertise and experience that come through the system.
“By working together, we’re able to access the very best support for our athletes, no matter the stage of their journey.
“A great example is the development of our Paralympic Pathway across both Scotland and England, which has only been possible through strong partnership working and has already delivered significant success.
“Another area where collaboration makes a real difference is in athlete health and wellbeing.
“Whether it’s support for mental health, female athlete health, or access to world-class practitioners through the UK Sports Institute and the sportscotland Institute of Sport, our athletes are given the tools to thrive both on and off the ice.
“Ultimately, it’s that shared commitment across the network which ensures that our athletes are not only prepared to compete at the highest level, but also supported holistically throughout their careers.”
The nature of her job brings constant challenge, from dealing with players already operating at the very highest level, to those just setting out on their bid to join them there and she embraces all aspects.
“Variety and challenge is an exciting part of the role,” Gibson pointed out.
“No two days are the same, so being flexible, adaptable and controlling the unexpected is a key part of the challenge.
“During my time in the role there have been some fantastic stand-out performances - from Team Mouat’s World Championship gold and the Wheelchair Mixed Doubles silver, to securing qualification across all five Olympic and Paralympic events, alongside GSOC wins for both Team Mouat and Team Whyte.
“Behind those results, it’s also been rewarding to see the performance support staff deliver on some key human and equipment performance projects that have made a real difference.
“That said, the moments I’ve found most rewarding aren’t always the headlines, but the smaller, more personal ones, where I’ve been able to directly influence an athlete’s journey, or enable staff to do so.
“Those connections and the impact on individuals are what give the results their real meaning.
“So, looking forward, my key goal is to keep building a truly world-class performance environment and culture — one where athletes and staff feel fully supported, challenged, and inspired to deliver medal-winning performances on the world stage.”
However, in keeping with this year’s theme of Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Week, which is ‘Celebrating Being Active’, her advice to others seeking to pursue similar careers is to ensure that they also prioritise their own physical and emotional well-being.
“The social network I have developed through my own personal involvement in sport is one of the most important things in my life, while I now run primarily for my own mental health and to make sure I’m making the most of the beautiful physical environment around me,” said Gibson.
“Professionally, I would suggest any women or girl considering a career in sport creates their own network of people that can help guide them, too.
“Having good people around me has been the single most important thing for my development.”
#SheCanSheWill