Nick Smith

Nick Smith is the founder and visionary behind Ardent Sports.

Born to British expatriates in South Africa, Nick’s upbringing combined entrepreneurial spirit with elite sport — his father represented South Africa, igniting Nick’s lifelong passion for sport and competition. As a youth, Nick balanced academic studies with elite training, excelling in cricket, swimming, and rugby, where he spent five years playing professionally. It was here that he first experienced high-performance sports environments.

After retiring from rugby, Nick transitioned into sports infrastructure development, driven by a vision to create transformational spaces that elevate sports performance. With over 25 years’ experience in the sports and health and fitness industries, Nick has worked with world-leading organisations including FIFA, UEFA, UFC, Manchester City FC, Liverpool FC, England RFU, WWE, and New York City FC — helping to shape their sports infrastructure, commercial strategies, and performance environments.

Nick’s career also includes senior leadership roles at David Lloyd Leisure and Fitness First, where he sat on the Executive Board. He holds a BA in Sports Science and a post-graduate teaching degree from Rhodes University, and has completed executive education at IESE Business School and the Institute of Directors.

Nick has built a team of like-minded former athletes at Ardent Sports who share his user-centric, performance-led approach to sports infrastructure — delivering spaces that enable world-class outcomes.