While wider industry pathways increasingly intersect with health and clinical services, this conversation returns to where fitness began: motivation, participation, performance and personal transformation. A session about owning professional identity within the traditional fitness landscape, how to continue developing confidence, credibility and recognition, and why this skilled community remains at the centre of the sector’s future. This is a celebration of the professionals who inspire movement and shape culture in the fitness sector.
CIMSPA
Starting her career as a lifeguard, Tara has worked across a range of organisations and roles, giving her an exceptional knowledge of the skills and workforce needs of the sector. Having gained hands on experience within local authority leisure, various management positions followed along with senior roles at DC Leisure Management and IQL-UK Ltd.
Tara has a passion for the sector which drives her to constantly aim for improvements across the industry. Tara is at the forefront of CIMSPA’s work, delivering initiatives that professionalise and recognise the workforce, and enhance the careers of those working in sport, leisure and active wellbeing.
Access Training - YAwards
Ryan is Chief Operating Officer at Access Training, where he leads strategic direction, business development, and operational performance across the organisation's education and skills delivery. Since stepping into the COO role in January 2026, he has focused on sustainable growth, sharper collaboration across the executive team, and consistently strong outcomes for learners and employers.
He brings two decades of experience in the health and fitness sector, including more than five years in director and executive leadership positions. Over that time, Ryan has built deep expertise in workforce development, strategic partnerships, and commercial growth — sitting at the intersection of physical activity and the education and training sector that supplies its talent.
At Elevate, Ryan offers a practitioner-led view of how training providers, employers, and the wider sector can work together to professionalise the workforce, widen access, and meet the demands of a rapidly changing labour market. He is a vocal advocate for clearer career pathways into the industry and for raising the standard of qualifications that underpin them — ensuring individuals gain the skills, confidence, and credentials needed to thrive in modern health and fitness careers.
Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine
| Natasha Jones is the president of the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine(FSEM(UK)) and clinical director of Moving Medicine. She is a consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine at Oxford University Hospitals NHS foundation Trust. Natasha has led FSEM(UK)'s work in exercise medicine for many years. She has led the moving medicine and Active Hospital initiative. In addition she collaboratively leads the Physical Activity Clinical Champions Programme. She is currently involved with partners including Nuffield Health Charity working on multiple initiatives aimed at moving towards a patient centred, de-medicalised, approach to physical activity for people living with long term conditions. |
ukactive
Marianne is the Director of Membership & Sector Development at ukactive, the UK’s leading non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the health of the nation through the power of physical activity. With a deep passion for collaboration and innovation, Marianne leads strategic engagement with ukactive’s diverse membership base, spanning public, private, and third-sector organisations across the physical activity landscape.
Drawing on over a decade of experience in local authority leisure, public health and major infrastructure and by driving stakeholder relations, sector growth, and policy engagement, Marianne has played a central role in advancing ukactive’s mission to create a healthier, more active society. Her leadership has been instrumental in supporting sector-wide initiatives, driving member value, and championing inclusivity, sustainability, and sector growth.
