We are sad to share the news that our beloved colleague Di Gilder has passed away following a short illness.
Di, or Diski, as she was affectionately known to many of us, was much respected and well liked within the golf industry. She will be particularly well known to attendees of the Golf Industry Open Lunch. Receiving an invitation from Di to the annual event was a highlight of the year, and she reveled in corresponding with and meeting so many people across golf. Di was also heavily involved in our Rounds Played Monitor and was, even last month, reaching out to golf clubs and helping to analyse their end of year data.However, it was equestrianism rather than golf that was Di’s real sporting passion. An active fan and participant in the sport until her final days, she regularly competed in (and often won) regional dressage events across the South East.
Her affection for horses was matched by that for her cats, whose adventures were a staple of conversation in the office, as too were stories from her own regular travels.
Di’s involvement with Sports Marketing Surveys dates back to 2000, when she joined to run the syndicated monthly consumer programme. She remained with the company during the transition to Sports Marketing Surveys Inc. in 2011 and through the rebrand to Sporting Insights last year and was the longest serving active member of the team.
We feel extremely lucky to have known and worked with Di, and we will deeply miss her zest for life, her warm presence, and her wicked sense of humour in our daily lives.
Our thoughts go out to Di’s family, particularly her husband Mike Johnson-Hill.
