Lynley Papineau

Managing Director, Aquatic Leisure Technologies

National Finalist in EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Australia

Much like its managing director Lynley Papineau, Aquatic Leisure Technologies (ALT) is a phenomenon in Australia’s pool manufacturing industry. Operating from Australia’s most extensive purpose-built manufacturing plant, it is the largest pool manufacturer in the country.

When she was at school, Lynley worked in the family business, Aquatic Leisure Technologies Pty Ltd during school holidays and after graduating from university with a commerce degree, officially joined the business in 1994. She worked her way across divisions of the business building a solid understanding of what made it tick and getting to know the people.

Lynley is described as “focussed and results orientated,” a former recipient of the Australian Telstra Business Women’s Award and the Commonwealth of Australia’s Centenary Medal, Lynley identifies a fundamental reason for her success is her commitment to staying true to the family values that built the business whilst being committed to driving business improvement.

ALT’s revenue streams are diverse, encompassing fibreglass pools, installation, commercial and residential pools, renovations, landscaping and finance. The company holds 45% market share in Western Australia and 12% nationwide.

When Aquatic Leisure Technologies innovates, it seriously innovates. Bringing graphene technology – an incredibly light, strong and durable material—to market after years of extensive R&D, the company is built to exceed expectations. A completely new construction process had to be developed to integrate graphene into the structure of Aquatic Leisure Technologies’ pools. The company's R&D efforts are now focused on incorporating bio-resins into swimming pool lamination and employing low-styrene resins to minimise emissions.

After working across diverse areas of the business over many years, Lynley became Managing Director in 2017. Having hit the ground running, she hasn’t stopped setting the pace in the industry since. She developed the Northern American market in 2018 further expanding the brand in the export industry. This strategic move propelled the business from being primarily Western Australia-based, to exporting 65% of pools to both national and global markets.