Tanya Hall, UK Tender & Partners Manager, E-Gym continues her consideration of the fitness industry’s perspective on obesity, following on from her incisive 2023 session on body image and the way the fitness industry views bigger bodies. She is joined by Sarah Le Brocq, founder of All About Obesity, who has commissioned and reviewed extensive research about obesity and has lived experience of exercising – and becoming extremely fit – in a bigger body. Dr Giles Yeo, Scientific Director of Genomics and Transcriptomics Core, University of Cambridge, adds his perspective and contends that obesity is not a choice but a genetic destiny.
They’ll consider:
E-Gym
Having worked for many years for both the operator and supplier world within the fitness industry I have learnt the best of both sides through my previous roles.
From public sector leisure management to now supporting public sector in my role as Tender and Partners Manager for EGYM, I feel grateful to be able to give back my knowledge and support in helping public leisure facilities achieve the best customer experience they can to support their members success.
University of Cambridge
Giles Yeo got his PhD in molecular genetics from the University of Cambridge in 1998, after which he joined the lab of Prof Sir Stephen O’Rahilly, working on the genetics of severe human obesity. Giles Yeo is now a Professor of Molecular Neuroendocrinology and programme leader at the MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit in Cambridge and his research currently focuses on the influence of genes on feeding behaviour & body-weight. In addition, he is a fellow of Wolfson College, and Honorary President of the British Dietetic Association. Giles is also a broadcaster and author, presenting science documentaries for the BBC, and hosts a podcast called ‘Dr Giles Yeo Chews The Fat’. His first book ‘Gene Eating’ was published in December 2018, and his second book ‘Why Calories Don’t Count’ came out in June 2021. Giles was appointed an MBE in the Queen’s 2020 birthday honours for services to ‘Research, Communication and Engagement’. He won the Society for Endocrinology Medal in 2022.
All about Obesity
Sarah Le Brocq is the Founder and Director of All About Obesity, a not-for-profit obesity organisation that launched in 2022. All About Obesity strives to be the leading obesity organisation for advancing obesity research, supporting and driving public education, a trusted resource for people living with obesity, healthcare professionals and policymakers and a support platform for people living with obesity.
Sarah has a unique skillset of living with obesity, a background in science, 16 years’ experience of working in the pharmaceutical industry, alongside the NHS and 6 years’ experience of being in the charity sector.
Sarah is known as a Thought Leader in the Obesity space, has a wide network of relationships with key obesity stakeholders. She is also well known in the media and is regularly called upon to give her thoughts and expertise around current Obesity affairs.
She sits on the strategic council for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Obesity, a stakeholder in NHSE’s new National Obesity Audit, a lay member on the NICE Weight Management Committee, the Digital weight management technologies for specialist weight management services and a representative on the OHA Healthy Weight Strategy, lived experience group.
She has also co-authored a number of published academic papers in scientific journals.
