From Commonwealth Games to commercial enablement

Most new starters keep a low profile for their first few months. Kara Hanlon carried the King’s Baton through the streets where she grew up.

Three months into her role as Commercial Enablement Executive at Data & AI Literacy Academy, Kara returned to her hometown of Stornoway to carry the baton alongside fellow islander Stephen Libby, winner of The Traitors Series 4. It was another milestone in a swimming career that took Kara to the Commonwealth Games for Scotland and the World and European Championships for Great Britain.

Along the way, she won multiple British titles and set Scottish records in the 50-metre and 100-metre breaststroke. Now retired from elite swimming, she has traded splits for spreadsheets. She is still working on the part where she switches off at 5:30pm.

I sat down with Kara to talk about bringing the baton home, the career that came before Data & AI Literacy Academy and what happens when someone who has spent more than a decade analysing performance starts applying the same discipline to a new world of work.

Bringing the baton home

The King’s Baton arrived in Stornoway aboard a CalMac ferry after crossing The Minch from Ullapool the previous evening. By the time Kara and Stephen were ready to carry it through the town, the community had come out to meet them.

“There were lots of children and families around, and it was a beautiful day,” Kara says. “We had the pipe band behind us, ready to get going. It felt really special because not many people get the opportunity to hold the baton, or even to walk with it.”

The timing made the occasion even more personal. The relay coincided with the opening night of HebCelt, the festival Kara had grown up attending every summer on the Castle Green.

“To put both together was really special,” she says. “And being Scottish, having the pipe band walking right behind you is always such a moment.”

Kara carried the baton alongside Stephen Libby, whom she had known growing up but had not seen for around 15 years.

“He was one of my best friend’s older sister’s best friends, so I met him quite a lot when we were younger,” she explains. “As soon as we saw each other, we bonded instantly."

"We were both just as grateful as each other to have the opportunity to represent the Western Isles.”

Stephen’s success on The Traitors meant the pair attracted plenty of attention along the route, although Kara was happy to enjoy the reflected glory.

“He was quite overwhelmed with all the photographs and everything,” she says. “But I felt like a celebrity standing next to him, so I thought, ‘This is fab.’”

The day ended with Kara and Stephen carrying the baton onto HebCelt’s main stage during Mànran’s headline set.

“Neither of us ever thought we’d be on that stage at the festival,” she says. “We were both really happy to be there and were just trying to embrace it all.”

Stornoway’s worst-kept secret

Kara had known about the relay since May 2026, around two and a half months before it took place. Keeping it quiet in a close-knit community proved challenging.

“A lot of people didn’t actually realise it was happening until that week,” she says. “In a small community, everyone starts texting each other asking what’s going on. You have aunties and uncles and your mum’s friends all wanting to know.”

The first person she told was her partner, Daniel.

“I had a phone call, which I’m very glad I picked up, and then went through to tell him in the other room. It was just a normal working day for us both so it threw some fun into it!”

Eventually, the excitement became too difficult to contain completely.

“About a month in, I thought, ‘I’m going to have to tell people now,’ because you want them to be able to come. It was a really special event.”

Twelve years, two batons

This was not Kara’s first time carrying a Commonwealth baton through Stornoway. She had also been selected as a baton bearer in 2014, when she was 17 and near the beginning of her swimming career. Returning 12 years later, as that career came to an end, gave the occasion an added significance.

“To carry the baton on home soil in 2014, then fast-forward 12 years and do it again at the end of my career, felt like a real full-circle moment,” she says.

“I felt really proud to have represented the islands in the way I have over the last 12 years. I want to show that even if you’re from a small place, you can achieve your dreams if you have the motivation and work hard.”

That connection to the Western Isles had been part of Kara’s career long before she reached the international stage. At 14, she competed in her first Island Games, a biennial international multi-sport event for island communities. She went on to compete at almost every edition that followed, missing one while representing Great Britain at the World Championships.

“It gave me a goal to compete for the island every two years and to get better each time,” she says. “That was a huge part of my development as an athlete because I was representing the Western Isles from the very beginning of my career.”

From the Western Isles to the world stage

From those early Island Games, Kara went on to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games and Great Britain at the World and European Championships. She became a multiple British champion and Scottish record holder, earning her a reputation as the most successful swimmer to come from the Western Isles.

For Kara, that recognition comes with a sense of responsibility to the next generation.

“I think about giving back to people who might be like me, from small towns and places where they might not have the same experiences or opportunities as people from bigger cities,” she says.

“Everyone’s journey is different, but I’ve always tried to share mine because it is slightly different. I want to inspire people to give it a go and see what happens.”

Asked which achievements make her proudest, Kara points to competing for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games and representing Great Britain at the World Championships. Those highs sit alongside one of the most difficult moments of her career: missing qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games by 0.06 seconds.

“That was a big blow,” she says. “But I have to be grateful for every opportunity I had before and since. Representing my country on almost the biggest stage there is, will always be something I remember.”

Her favourite memory, however, is not a title or record. It is walking out for a Commonwealth Games final in Birmingham and seeing her family in the stands.

“My whole family was there. My partner was there, his mum was there, and everyone was able to come,” she says.

“I remember walking out for the final and looking up to see their faces and the Scottish flag. It was an amazing moment. I wish I could have bottled it.”

Trading splits for spreadsheets

Retiring from elite sport can be a difficult decision. For Kara, it came with a clear sense that the timing was right.

“I felt ready to stop, which I know not every athlete gets the opportunity to feel,” she says. “Sometimes the decision is brought upon you. For me, it was a decision I made, and life beyond sport felt really exciting.”

Her next step arrived almost immediately.

“Pretty much the day after I decided to retire, I was offered the job at Data & AI Literacy Academy. It felt like a sign that this might be my next step.”

The opportunity came through Athlete Origin, a Glasgow-based athlete transition company Kara approached while looking for a route into technology or data.

“They put me forward to Data & AI Literacy Academy,” she explains. “There were some conversations behind the scenes and, thankfully, I was the right fit.”

There has still been plenty to adjust to, from getting used to regular working hours to making space for exercise and a social life outside work.

“I probably haven’t quite aced the transition yet,” she admits. “There is still work to do in terms of becoming used to nine-to-five work, making sure I stay healthy outside it and also having a social life. But overall, I’m really enjoying it."

Bringing an athlete’s mindset to Data & AI Literacy Academy

Although Kara has entered a new industry, the habits built during her swimming career have followed her.

“As an athlete, data is one of the main things you look at,” she says. “You’re looking at metrics, how to improve, previous races and your splits.”

The same analytical mindset now helps her plan and prioritise her work.

“One thing I’ve definitely brought into this world is that sense of prioritisation,” she says. “I organise my diary early, make sure I have time for everything and focus on the things that need to come first.”

Balancing university with elite swimming had already taught Kara to manage competing demands, a skill that has transferred naturally into her commercial role.

“University and swimming taught me that time management and prioritisation piece, and I think that has come across well into the world of work.”

One skill remains a work in progress: switching off.

“When I was swimming full-time, I had to find ways to switch off from that world when I wasn’t in it, whether that was after training or at the weekend,” she says. “I want to bring that into work so that at half five I can switch off and put things aside until the next day. I’m still developing that skill. I thought it would be easier than it is.”

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Embracing the next challenge

Moving from elite sport into a new industry means becoming a beginner again. Kara’s advice is to accept that you will not understand everything immediately.

“Embrace it and dive in fully,” she says. “Take energy and different things from the people around you, then use them to make the role your own.”

“It can be overwhelming at the start when there are so many new things, but there’s no need to rush. You can always go back and learn something in more detail later.”

Three months into her new career, Kara is still learning what comes after elite sport. But if her first few months at Data & AI Literacy Academy are anything to go by, keeping a low profile was never especially likely.

“Thanks to Data & AI Literacy Academy for embracing me in this next chapter and offering me the role,” she says. “I’m excited to see where my future goes.”

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Swim career milestones & achievements

• National Record Holder: She is the fastest Scottish female in history for both the 50m and 100m breaststroke events, famously becoming the first Scottish woman to break the 1:07 barrier in the 100m.
• British Champion: She is a multiple-time British Champion, securing gold medals in the sprint breaststroke events over several seasons.
• International Competitor: Represented Great Britain at multiple events including the European Aquatics Championships and the World Aquatics Championships.
• Inspiring Background: Her rise to elite sport is uniquely famous because she spent much of her youth training in a tiny 12.5-meter pool in Ness, a quarter of the size of an Olympic pool. Her story was highlighted in the BBC documentary Kara Hanlon: Dare to Dream.