Our Team

Our instructors are all experienced fencers and ⁄ or fencing coaches, with many also having extensive corporate experience. They can therefore tailor games and activities to your needs, helping you to get the most from your corporate events, team building days and training sessions.

nick payne

The founder of Sword Fighting International, Nick has fenced since he was 10 years old. Former British No1 and England Captain, he was reserve for the Barcelona Olympics and is a Commonwealth bronze medalist. Now retired from competitive fencing, he is an International Referee and was one of the assistant referees for the Men's Foil Final at the London 2012 Olympics.

Nick also has plenty of corporate experience, working in Business Information, Anti-Money Laundering and Risk Management in some of the world's largest financial centres. He therefore knows how important the skills that fencing can develop are: focus, precise goals and determination have helped him to both fencing and corporate success.

sam stevenson

Lead Instructor and Marketing Consultant, Sam has over 20 years' experience in marketing, events management, training and development. She is a qualified practitioner of the behavioural profiling tool PRISM, and qualified fencing coach. Sam leads our Get the Point! experiential learning programme.

Top GB Athletes who have worked for SFI

Richard Kruse – Men's Foil GB and World No 1
Team GB Olympic team: Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016

9 time World Cup and Grand Prix winner

Anna Bentley – Women's Foil
Team GB London 2012; 3 times British Champion

Mary Cohen – Women's Epee
GB Team; 7 times national champion

Jenny McGeever – GB Women's Epee Team
GB Team; 2011 U20 GBR ranking 1st

Hannah Bryars – Women's Foil

7 times national champion