Introducing Simon Obery

Our new Customer Success and Implementation Consultant Simon Obery brings a wealth of hands-on leisure industry experience. He cut his teeth as a lifeguard and swimming teacher, before moving into management and then into the software industry, where he has continued his love affair with leisure by specialising in leisure management systems.

Simon has already hit the ground running at Jonas Leisure and has been busy working with council and leisure-provider teams to successfully improve leisure outcomes for communities – feel free to drop him an email or give him a call to introduce yourself and connect with him.

We put a few questions to Simon to discover what he enjoys about working in the leisure industry and to gather his insights on how the latest AI technology can be harnessed to benefit recreation providers.

When did you join Jonas Leisure and what have you enjoyed most so far?

I joined in January this year and it has already been a rewarding experience. I have really enjoyed learning from the depth of knowledge and experience within the team.

Jonas Leisure has supported leisure and recreation centres across Australia and New Zealand for more than 20 years, evolving its products alongside changes in technology and industry needs. I’m excited to play a part in supporting both current and future clients on their journey with us.

What do you love most about the leisure industry?

My first roles in leisure were as a swim teacher and lifeguard. I loved helping people of all ages and abilities build swimming and water-safety skills, from infants through to adults.

As I moved into management roles, that focus shifted toward developing staff and supporting them to deliver quality service. It was rewarding to help people build skills that support their future careers or progression within the industry.

Working with Jonas Leisure has created opportunities to collaborate with council and leisure-provider teams who share these values. I enjoy helping them deliver better experiences for their staff and positive outcomes for the communities they serve.

What is one piece of advice for councils or recreation providers that want to get the most out of leisure management software?

Invest in training and process documentation. Clear, well maintained documentation helps staff meet customer needs, deliver consistent service, and onboard new team members more easily.

It also sets you up to benefit from new technology. For example AI connected tools such as Model Context Protocol (MCP) can be used to link your systems and documents to AI assistants so staff can quickly find answers in your own policies and procedures.

With that foundation, it becomes much easier to improve efficiency, support staff, and make organisational knowledge accessible when it is needed.

What interests you most outside of work?

Anything around water. I enjoy scuba diving, swimming and camping in new places whenever I get the chance.

I recently moved back to Western Australia from Victoria, and my controversial opinion is that WA has the best beaches in Australia.

What are you most looking forward to about the year ahead with Jonas Leisure?

I am looking forward to the exciting product roadmap ahead and to helping clients get the most value from their software. I also value the conversations and connections with clients that help shape ideas and input into the future direction of our solutions.