We caught up with Applied Strength and Conditioning Science MSc graduate and business owner, Aydin Djemal, on his journey to St Mary’s and what he’s been up to since leaving.
After achieving significant success, including winning a silver medal at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics and a British champion title, Aydin’s career was unexpectedly halted when funding was cut for GB Short Track after the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. This experience underscored the importance of support, resources, and mentorship, especially when it comes to ensuring that athletes—regardless of background—have the tools they need to succeed.
Here’s what Aydin had to say about his time at St Mary’s and how the University has helped him set up his business, Serendipity Profile, with co-founder Anthony Allen.
What did you do before your master’s?
I actually didn't study an undergraduate degree, I was really fortunate that my experience as an athlete was enough for me to get accepted on the Applied Strength and Conditioning (S&C) Science master’s programme at St Mary’s.
I was a professional speed skater for about seven years, but unfortunately Team GB lost funding after the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. After that, I had to retire from the sport and then I became a personal trainer. From getting into coaching that then put me on the pathway to doing an S&C Science master’s here.
How did you find your time at St Mary’s?
One of the main reasons I chose to come to St Mary’s was that I had a really close friend of mine do his undergrad degree in Strength and Conditioning here, and I got to take part in his research which I thought was really cool. That really made St Mary's stand out over other universities for me when I was looking to do my master’s.
I really enjoyed my time at St Mary’s and going back into education. I'd had a big break from education - close to ten years - so I was a bit worried and nervous, but I actually had a great time. I have to say I was in the campus library most weeks until very late, but it was genuinely a very good experience.
What did you do your dissertation on?
I actually did my dissertation on speed skating and looking at what characteristics are relevant to speed skating performance. I was really fortunate that I got the opportunity to go to Hungary and do testing on their national team through my old Team GB coach.
Hopefully the research that I've done on that will get published soon.
What are you working on now?
There are two main things that I’m working on. I’ve worked as a personal trainer for a while, so I'm now doing that alongside strength and conditioning consultant work now. The second thing is that I'm also setting up this business called Serendipity Profile with a colleague of mine called Anthony Allen.
The aim of Serendipity Profile is to support athletes in as many ways as possible, including financially. As I said, I have personal experience with funding getting pulled and I’ve also worked with UK athletes who have no funding and are struggling to get by. We want to help support them and get them sponsorships because I think a lot of their competitors, in places like the USA for example, do very well with their sponsorship deals and are able to generate a decent income.
How did St Mary’s help you start your business?
We actually entered and won the St Mary's Alumni Business Pitch competition, which the Career Services team at St Mary’s recommended us to enter. Winners of the competition receive up £1000 in funding.
We were just looking for some advice on how to get set up, and we didn't think we were ready to do a pitch at all. But we decided to go through the process and we made it to the final where we had to do a full 15-minute pitch on campus to the judges. We were really fortunate that we won and were just really happy and pleased. This was invaluable in helping us establish our foundation.
It provided us with crucial funding and an office space, but it also marked the beginning of our mission to bridge the worlds of elite sports performance and business development, creating something special that benefits athletes, universities, and communities alike.
Now that the business is starting to take off, I make sure to recommend St Mary’s to people that we work with. For example, we recently brought one of the athletes that we work quite closely with, Kori Sampson, onto campus. He's going to be filming some content and footage and wanted to do some sports science testing. He asked us where's the best place to go to get that, and of course we brought him straight here to St Mary’s.
Where do you see Serendipity Profile going?
As Serendipity Profile continues to grow, our focus has developed into a 360-degree approach to athlete support. This includes athlete testing, branding, sponsorship, and strategic partnerships. Serendipity Profile are committed to collaborating with universities to provide students with hands-on experience with professional athletes, influencers and real-world opportunities in sports performance and business.
One of our core values is giving back, both to athletes and to the next generation of sports professionals. Having seen first-hand the challenges that athletes face with funding cuts, we’re dedicated to offering the financial support and performance resources that many athletes lack, especially compared to their international peers. By also giving students real-world experience, we aim to make a meaningful impact on the sports community and beyond.
Serendipity Profile was founded on the belief that collaboration and innovation can drive progress—not just for individual athletes, but for entire ecosystems within the sports industry. We want to create a lasting legacy that uplifts everyone involved, from students to professional lecturers, and academic institutions to global organisation’s.
By leveraging our expertise and networks, we aim to build something truly transformative, working hand-in-hand with St Mary’s University and others to help drive positive change and success for all.