Fiona McNeilly graduated Aberdeen University with a Joint Honours in French and German. Following two years living and working in Austria, German was her unconventional route into sports administration, initially coordinating ski competition programme for The British Ski and Snowboard Federation. She took on the overall management of the Federation, now Snowsport GB, in 1999 and held that position until the birth of her son in 2003. An Olympic Team manager in Salt Lake City 2002, Fiona managed athlete and organisation through the fallout following the Baxter bronze and subsequent doping allegations.
Since then, Fiona has worked on a number of freelance sports projects, including the proposed modernisation of Snowsport GB, and delivers profile and sponsorship advice to talented athletes through the Scottish Institute of Sport Performance Lifestyle programme. She has recently been contracted part-time as a performance lifestyle adviser, primarily with the East of Scotland Institute of Sport.
Fiona has been known to sing in public to an eclectic range of tunes, is the proud owner of a dusty array of tap dancing medals and continues to Bodyjam whenever possible. She loves to hang out with her young son, Jamie.