Operations Director · Padel Development & Operations

Ellie Marlow

Commercial and operational leader building high-performing sports and leisure businesses from site concept to scalable multi-site operation.

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Commercial & operational leadership

20+ years across multi-site sports and leisure, entrepreneurship, business growth and customer experience.

Site → Construction → Court → Launch → Operation → Commercial Performance

4clubs opened in eight months

£60knet monthly network revenue by month nine

70%of average-spend & court-utilisation KPIs reached by month nine

4more sites in operational planning for 2027

Executive profile

Turning complexity into commercial performance.

Currently Operations Director for Padel X Club, with UK-wide responsibility across a rapidly growing portfolio. Ellie combines site feasibility, business modelling and court construction knowledge with mobilisation, participation growth, data-led performance management and commercial optimisation.

Multi-site operationsCommercial strategyBrand positioningPadel developmentSite feasibilityCourt constructionCommercial modellingMembership strategyOperational design & implementationScalable operations & growthStakeholder managementData & KPI analysisCustomer experienceFinancial reportingHealth & safety complianceSite automation & integrations

Professional experience

Padel growth at national scale.

Operations Director

Padel X Club

Feb 2025 — Present

UK-wide operational leadership across a growing portfolio of padel clubs, spanning business modelling, mobilisation, launch, performance and scalable operations.

Opened four clubs within eight months and built the network to approximately £60k net monthly revenue by month nine.
Established network-wide analysis across revenue, bookings, utilisation and membership, with 70% of average-spend and court-utilisation KPIs reached across the network by month nine.
Leads operational planning for four further sites for 2027, creating site-specific models covering market, capacity, staffing, pricing, membership and recurring revenue.
Owns participation programming, club registration, safeguarding, recruitment, technology, procurement, maintenance, customer experience and secondary revenue development.

Operational & Commercial Development

Padel Magic UK

2025 — Present

Commercial development combined with detailed technical and product knowledge of the complete padel court development and installation journey.

Works across feasibility, planning, groundworks, drainage, structures, glass, turf, lighting and installation.
Built a substantial database and pipeline of prospective sites, operators, investors and partners.
Developed the end-to-end process from lead qualification through procurement, logistics, installation, handover and final invoice.
Optimised procurement and logistics, managed specialist suppliers and contractors, and drove the UK rebrand.

Commercial systems leadership

A bold platform move at a critical point in growth.

A few weeks before Padel X Club’s third launch, Ellie led the move to Padel Mates as the network’s booking platform. Changing a core customer and operating system at that stage carried real delivery risk—but it was commercially critical to support the next phase of growth.

“Since moving to Padel Mates, we haven’t looked back. From migrating two existing clubs to opening two new ones, it’s supported our growth to almost 8,000 players and helped us secure new opportunities to expand with further Padel X Clubs.

The flexibility to tailor memberships, pricing, coaching, corporate bookings, and events has made it easier to shape our clubs around our players. The team is always receptive to feedback from both us and our community, and they welcome new ideas. Padel Mates feels like a real partner in our growth, and we’re excited to see how the app continues to evolve.”

Ellie Marlow · Operations Director, Padel X Club

OperationsStreamlined network processes

CustomerImproved booking journey

ScalePlatform ready for portfolio growth

Founder & commercial leadership

Built, scaled and successfully exited.

Founder & Managing Director

Catkin & Pussywillow Limited

2011 — 2024

Founded and scaled a design-led luxury floristry, retail and events business from a £5,000 investment to £460k annual turnover before successfully exiting in 2024.

Held full responsibility for P&L, cash flow, pricing, margin, people, operations, marketing, e-commerce and customer experience.
Built a high-performing team and loyal portfolio of high-net-worth private and corporate clients.
Pivoted rapidly through Covid, delivering the highest-performing year in the company’s history.

Commercial Director

Villanova Food Ltd

2004 — 2011

Led commercial growth for an artisan, organic and speciality food business, increasing turnover by 300% in year one and building annual turnover to £1.5m.

Built a wholesale portfolio including Whole Foods Market, Daylesford Organic, Abel & Cole, Carluccio’s and Planet Organic.
Led sales, key accounts, pricing, margins, forecasting, suppliers, fulfilment, quality control and teams.

Career highlights

Results with range.

£5k → £460k

Grew a start-up investment into substantial annual turnover and completed a successful business exit.

300% growth

Delivered first-year turnover growth at Villanova Food and helped scale the business to £1.5m annually.

Four launches

Opened four padel clubs in eight months, creating the operational foundations for a national portfolio.

KPI-led

Built consistent commercial analysis, with 70% of average-spend and court-utilisation KPIs reached by month nine.

Selected projects & earlier career

Live events,
systems &
communications.

Commercial & Event Operations · University of Winchester

Commercial planning, event delivery, booking-platform business case and operational workflow design.

Project experience

Wimbledon Championships Project · The AA

Managed and streamlined parking ticketing within a high-profile, time-critical live sporting environment.

Project experience

PR Specialist & Event Manager · Cisco Systems

Supported EMEA Corporate Relations and managed corporate press events.

2002 — 2003

Account Executive · Bite Communications

B2B technology PR across major accounts including BT, Cisco Systems and Oracle.

2000 — 2002

Marketing & PR Executive · E-Com Life

Marketing, PR and major corporate event delivery for an online lifestyle membership business.

1999 — 2000

The Padel Club Architect

Building better padel businesses.

Practical insight and tools for developing, launching and operating commercially sustainable padel clubs.

The Padel Club Architect · Interactive tool

Padel ROI Calculator

Model court revenue, simple ROI and revenue-based payback by adjusting investment, court numbers, opening hours, pricing and occupancy.

Open the calculator

The Padel Club Architect · Insight 01

Beyond the Court

What actually makes a padel venue work? Connecting feasibility, venue design and customer experience with a sustainable operating model.

Read the article

The Padel Club Architect · Insight 02

Why Groundworks Make or Break a Padel Court

The foundation is mostly invisible once a court opens, but it shapes drainage, structural performance, programme certainty and long-term value.