Paul brings two decades of experience to his role at Future Fit, as a personal trainer, PT manager, consultant and educator. He has created a successful PT business as well as working for some of the leading brands in the fitness industry. As Education Project Specialist at Future Fit, Paul is now involved in the development of bespoke training products that support fitness, health and wellness professionals. Paul is also a writer and presenter and uses these platforms to campaign for improvement of training standards across the industry.

Tim joined ukactive in March 2020. As the Lead for EDI at the trade body for fitness and leisure, his remit includes developing the sector towards greater inclusivity. ukactive supports its members through standards, programmes, campaigns and interventions to deliver it’s mission of ‘more people. more active, more often’. Tim is passionate about the role of Diversity and Inclusion as a key function to deliver ‘Vision 2030’ – developing the sector to be more inclusive and engaging with 20% of the population.

Tim was previously working at Premiership Rugby. During his time at the executive body running professional rugby union in England he developed and delivered an Inclusion Strategy involving campaigns, programming and policy for each of the 9 ‘protected characteristics’. His notable work included a ‘Commitment to Accessibility’ which was shortlisted for a BT Sport Industry Award in 2018, and the ”Project Rugby’ programme which was shortlisted for a British Ethnic Diversity Sports Award and was a two-time award winner at the Sport Business Awards.

Ali Jawad is a 4x Paralympian, Paralympic Medallist, PhD candidate and the co-founder of the Accessercise app – the world's first complete fitness app designed especially for the disability community.

Ali was born in Lebanon with no legs, during a troubled time in the country. He was moved to the UK at 6 months old in order to save his life and give him a chance. He has battled against the odds and defied science at multiple turns in his career. Diagnosed with Crohns before his Paralympic debut, Ali went on to win a career grand slam of medals.

Ali has broken world records, become world champion, European champion, national champion. He has won Paralympic silver, multiple Commonwealth Games medals and much more. Outside of elite sport Ali is an athlete representative on many boards, a keen anti doping advocate and passionate disability inclusion advocate.

During the Covid Pandemic while training for Tokyo, Ali co-founded and launched the world’s first complete disability fitness app, Accessercise. Accessercise removes the barriers faced by the disabled community in relation to physical activity, exercise and healthy living.

Tara Dillon was appointed as CEO of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity in January 2015. Tara began her career in Sport and Physical Activity as a lifeguard in her local centre back in 1987, whilst studying. Having gained hands on experience within local authority leisure, various management positions followed until in March 2001, she was appointed as Contracts Manager at DC Leisure Management.      

After 6 years with DCLM, Tara accepted the role of Executive Director of IQL-UK Ltd where she remained until her CIMSPA appointment.

Tara has a passion for the Sport and Physical Activity 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 the workforce and enhance the career prospects of those working in sport, leisure and

Huw is the CEO of ukactive, the not-for-profit health body which represents the physical activity sector and has a mission to get More People, More Active, More Often. He took the role in July 2019 following three years as Director of Public Affairs, Communications and Research. During his ukactive career, Huw has played a key role in shaping ukactive’s strategy and business plan, as well as leading the organisation’s engagement with government and wider stakeholders.

In 2017, Huw was named Leisure Sector Champion for the Department of Work & Pensions disability taskforce, aiming to ensure that the work of the sector in the disability space is aligned to the DWP’s objectives.

Previously, Huw was the Public Affairs lead at British Tennis, working across both the Lawn Tennis Association and The Tennis Foundation. He has also worked for both the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Olympic Delivery Authority during the delivery of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

With over 30 years of experience in the wellness sector, for which she is deeply passionate, Rachel is highly respected by all of her industry peers. Always operating with the greatest integrity, Rachel is not afraid to speak her mind in furtherance of driving the very highest standards within health & wellness.

Having operated as a successful gym owner, to leading business development within world-renowned Myzone, when Rachel speaks only the foolish would fail to listen.

Julie Allen or Jules as most know her, is driven and dedicated to improving the customer experience. With 20 years’ industry experience in both operations and as a supplier, Jules passion for creating meaningful and memorable experiences that lead to healthier and happier communities is at the heart of everything she does.

Prior to joining Active Insight as Business Development Director, Jules started her career as a receptionist before progressing in various roles including Sales and Marketing before moving onto Front of House and Customer Service Manager. With a desire to support a range of operators develop and drive their customer experience strategy, Jules joined TRP (now Fitronics). This combined experience of operations and consultancy has shaped Jules’ approach and commitment to sharing insight and customer experience knowledge to drive change within the industry. A Spin and Zumba instructor – you’ll find Jules in a group exercise studio somewhere!

Driven to develop and implement innovative solutions to enhance the quality and efficiency of services that make a difference to people’s lives. Libby has 20 plus years experience delivering service transformation and change. Libby started her career working in hospitality where she developed her eye for detail in service delivery, before moving into the public sector and managing a number of customer and commercial focused transformation projects across a diverse range of services. Libby joined Brimhams Active in Dec 2021 and leads the organisations agenda for customer excellence.

Libby is also a Professional Development Coach and mentor with over 7 years experience she believes that focusing on people rather than process, creates positive and lasting impacts for our communities and stakeholders. Libby is passionate about helping people attain their goals and reach their full potential.

Jessica Pitts-Brennan began her career deeply rooted in the technology sector, where she developed an expansive understanding of systems, processes, and applications. Her role involved leveraging this knowledge to optimise business efficiencies and technological advancements, laying a solid foundation for her future endeavours.

Transitioning from a purely tech-focused role, Jessica merged her professional expertise with her personal passion for fitness and health. She now specialises in small-group personal training and serves as the Director of Customer Experience for Quoox. In this capacity, Jessica harnesses her comprehensive tech background to enhance the fitness industry. She plays a pivotal role in guiding gym owners on effectively using the Quoox software platform to improve lead generation, retention, and day-to-day operational management.

Jessica’s innovative approach has made her a trusted advisor among some of the most successful gym owners in the boutique small group sector. She is renowned for her ability to provide insightful guidance on utilising technology to maximise business potential, ultimately enhancing the overall client experience in the fitness industry. Her unique blend of tech-savvy and fitness acumen continues to contribute significantly to the evolution of fitness management systems.

Chris Windram is co-founder and CEO of Quoox, the specialist premium gym software and business service provider.

Across multiple companies and industries, Chris has delivered cloud-based software solutions for companies ranging from large blue-chip organisations to small independents. With a passion for establishing a balanced life through productivity and efficiency, he and the Quoox team have led a number of innovations within the fitness industry.

Working to make a tangible difference in the lives and businesses of small, independent gym owners, Chris is proud that he and his dedicated team are able to bring the Gym Mastery Theatre to Elevate ’24.

With over 20 years of physical activity and sports development experience, Shelley has been a key member of the EMD UK Senior Leadership team since 2019. As EMD UK’s Chief Operating Officer, she has taken a strategic lead for several key work strands including our system partner relationship with Sport England. Shelley graduated from Brighton University with a BA Hons in Leisure and Sports Studies and in 2014 was one of the first graduates of the Women’s Sports Leadership Academy. She was COO for a social enterprise supporting young people into work through sport and fitness programmes. A qualified group exercise instructor and running coach, she established a running club and ran the London and Loch Ness Marathons

Kelly leads the team of learning designers at UK Coaching, the only independent representative body for sport and physical activity coaches in the UK. As a multiple award winning learning designer, she drives the conceptualisation, creation, implementation, and integration of learning products and services across the breadth of the coaching sector in the UK. Kelly and her team believe passionately that everyone should have access to learning and development opportunities through innovation and by utilising the latest learning insights, technologies, and trends to offer modern, engaging, transformative and impactful learning. Collaborating with prominent sports personalities to tackle taboo subjects, through to life saving simulated learning, the team trailblaze unapologetically to push the boundaries of learning for the greater good! UK Coaching is at the heart of coach development in the UK, and with Kelly and the team living and breathing learning, the learning and assessment products and experiences are carefully crafted with purpose and care. Spanning all levels, environments, and coaching disciplines, UK Coaching seamlessly connects the dots, putting the learners needs at the heart of everything we do

Cath Sykes is the Safeguarding Adults in Sport Manager dedicated to the Wider Sport and Activity Sector at the Ann Craft Trust. With over 20 years of experience working in the field of safeguarding, Cath is an experienced Lead Safeguarding Officer, having held strategic and case management roles primarily in the voluntary and community sector before working with the sports sector.

With a background in community education and youthwork, Cath has worked for national organisations to develop and implement policies and procedures, education and training programmes focused on safeguarding and participation. At the Ann Craft Trust, Cath now supports sport and physical activity organisations to develop their practices for safeguarding adults and has recently launched the Safeguarding Adults Roadmap, a resource that aims to equip organisations with the knowledge, tools, and strategies necessary to create safer environments for adults in sports and physical activities.

Chris has been working in the leisure industry since 1995 and his experience to-date has seen him progress from delivering parties and holiday camps at his local sports centre to high profile national roles for both public and private leisure operators.

Children’s activities, sport (particularly football) and fitness have always been at the core of Chris’ work and since his move from General Management in 2004 he has been responsible for developing innovative products and cutting edge brands for various high profile national and international organisations; such as Disney, Virgin Active, Thomas Cook, Challenger Sports, David Lloyd and global children's TV show LazyTown.

Chris has a flair for creating financially profitable products that truly engage children of all ages, increasing participation whilst at the same time re-energising staff and coaches set the task of bringing his products to life and using them to drive successful businesses.

Chris founded Kidztivity in 2010 with a single mission; to transform the children's activities industry. By leveraging a powerful set of collaborative solutions and industry expertise, from training, product development and technology, to consultancy and business growth, Kidztivity are able to effectively and efficiently address change, achieving better outcomes and inspiring new possibilities for partners across the globe.

Rachael Hurton is Director of Synergy Dance® and Synergy Active Online™.

Both Rachael and the company have won multiple awards for leadership, digital delivery and innovation. Rachael has also worked as a fitness and dance instructor, in filming, publishing and business. She has been with Synergy for the last ten years and appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2021, to comment on inclusive exercise and dance, when the BBC and Children In Need filmed one of Synergy’s inclusive dance classes for children.

At Synergy we are here to get everyone moving, whatever their circumstances. We provide multiple opportunities for partners to be fully inclusive and to keep everyone active. Alongside mainstream and adult programs for leisure centres, gyms and care homes, Synergy provides dance, yoga and fitness activities nationally for SEND and mainstream schools. In the last three years, Rachael’s inclusive programs and innovations have led to 14 National Awards.

Synergy Active Online: synergy-dance-online.teachable.com

Synergy Dance Ltd: synergydance.co.uk and synergydanceoutreach.co.uk

Kelly Cooper is the Group DL Kids Manager for the UK & Europe and has worked in the industry for over 30 years.

From coaching and swim teaching to high profile operational and management roles for both public and private brands, one thing has always been consistent in Kelly’s career, her absolute passion about offering exciting, engaging and high-quality activities for children of all ages which are all focused on increasing participation and creating new products and brands that connect with a diverse audience.

Kelly has worked with David Lloyd across the UK and Europe for the past 12-years and is responsible for the development of some amazing products like Scooter Squad and Let’s Ride, along with the development of innovative new facilities like The Lab.. Kelly is always looking for new and innovative activities to keep DL Kids members active in both body and mind, whilst at the same time supporting operational teams with practical support to ensure delivery is both high quality and consistent across over 125 Clubs.

Rob is the Fitness Director at Third Space, leading all aspects of Fitness & Personal Training for the group. Rob has a wealth of experience in several markets having held senior roles at Holmes Place, Virgin Active, David Lloyd, and Next Gen Australia. His passion for developing people and creating world class member experiences has enabled him and the team to produce a culture at Third Space that enables members and team members alike to be their Personal Best.

Peter’s focus throughout his 25 years in the health and fitness industry has always been around building physically healthy lifestyles for all. Through personal experience of the ill effects of corporate burnout in 2019, this focus expanded, driven by the need to understand both why it happened to him and how to prevent it happening to other people – and organisations.

Peter’s personal experience and subsequent learning has given him the ability to challenge and support with empathy and to create a positive environment to ensure individuals and teams are able to thrive. With effective leadership and resilience being distinguishing factors for success within teams and individuals, this satisfies his purpose and drive to seek opportunities to create positive change.

Early in 2024, Peter accepted the role of CEO of an emerging and fast-growing company Nuforma Pilates. While company growth and performance are key, the importance of the results being gained on a foundation of strong and positive organisational health are a vital driver in Peter’s stewardship of the organisation.

Since gaining his MSc in Sports and Exercise Psychology at Brunel University back in 2012, Matt has gained over 12 years’ experience working across the sports development, physical activity and education sectors. Matt has a developed a real passion for creating initiatives that allow both individuals and organisations to break down barriers to physical activity and develop their passion and love for sport and fitness.

Through his experience as the Operations Manager and Professional Development consultant for the Merton School Sports Partnership, and through a number of coach development roles for organisations such as the Rugby Football Union and Harlequins F.C, Matt has crafted his ability in creating an environment and learning climate for individuals and teams that both supports and challenges them to develop effective and resilient leadership practices so that they can achieve their full potential.

Qualifications: Accredited in: C-Me Colour Profiling, Resilient Leadership Elements

A fitness industry renowned Pharmacologist and leading Educator, Dr Dean's popularity has grown for his no-nonsense approach when it comes to Performance Enhancing Drug (PED) safety and health management through direct science.

He holds a Double 1st Class Honours degree in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the National University of Ireland Maynooth where he finished top of the university, and holds a PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry and Fluorescence Spectroscopy.

He is an Author for the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM); as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Dietary Supplements and PEDs within their Bodybuilding and Physique Coach Qualification Curriculum.

His interests lie in Performance Enhancing Drug pharmacology, novel drug design, health and sports dietary supplementation, and applying Functional Medicine to athletes to improve their health. His love of Functional Medicine is what led to the creation of the Dr Dean supplement range within the Supplement Needs brand; in order to provide a one-stop shop for consumers to purchase products that are dosed efficaciously backed by clinical research, all fully transparent, and without any hidden proprietary blends.

Katherine has over twenty-five years’ experience in sport and physical activity and is passionate about making a positive impact at scale. She began at The Football Association in the nineties as part of a small team working on women’s football. She built the first ever Marketing and Communication strategy which helped it become the top female participation sport in England, second team participation sport (to men’s football) and even shifted cultural norms for women. It was mission led, put the athletes at the centre and made transformative change.

For the last 10 years she has been a Director at Intelligent Health, founded by Dr William Bird MBE, where the focus is on tackling inequalities, ill health and climate change through building active communities. Katherine has guided the growth of a mass participation game called Beat the Street that encourages people to improve their health through small changes to daily behaviour – through walking, wheeling and cycling. Typically 10% of a place takes part, with the largest game in Sheffield attracting 60,000 participants – adults and children. Using social marketing and trusted behaviour change techniques it’s become one of the most effective mass behaviour change programmes in public health.

Katherine has led Beat the Street’s national work with Sport England since 2017, building it into a programme that has been taken across England and is now recognised as a transformational tool for places. The programme combines community engagement, behavioural science, data insight, project management and marketing expertise. It all sits on digital platform that allows delivery at scale and leverages innovative technology and gamification.

Beat the Street works like a high-profile mass sports event hosted in a place, but for residents themselves to take part, turning where they live and work into a playground and allowing them to enjoy spending time together whatever their age or ability. It works because it’s easy, accessible simple and timely but most of all it’s fun. For places and partners, it provides access to valuable data that can drive insight for health and the wider system to deliver population level change.

Beat the Street has worked in over 170 places and with 1.8 million participants. Typically, 87% register and of these, 53% are adults and 47% children. With Sport England there have been 57 places and over 730,000 participants. Tackling inequality sits at the heart and data shows a third have joined from IMD 1-2 populations, 71% of adult participants are women, 19% have a disability or long-term condition, and there is over-representation or mirrored Black, Asian and other ethnically diverse groups compared to local data sets. There is an on average an 8% decrease in inactivity for adults following the game phase.

In her spare time, Katherine is Chair of Rounders England and although she has retired from playing football she still loves heading out for walks with her family and friends.

Currently serving as the Senior Vice President of British Esports, Dave brings extensive experience and expertise to the national federation.

In addition to his role at British Esports, Dave holds the position of CEO at Esports Global, an investment and consultancy firm specialising in esports, and served as a Strategic Advisor to FINTECH Circle.

He also supports operations at Resolve Esports and was formerly co-owner of the London Royal Ravens Call of Duty franchise, further showcasing his multifaceted involvement in the esports industry.

With over two decades of experience advising the esports and education sectors, Dave has worked closely with government bodies, professional institutions, and employers both in the UK and internationally.

At British Esports, Dave serves as the Senior Vice President, leveraging his extensive expertise to cultivate relationships with key strategic partners, policymakers, esports organisations, and athletes. His responsibilities span various areas, including Education, International Relations, Research & Innovation, Strategy & Development, Policy & Standards, Stakeholder Engagement, Relationship Management, Safeguarding, Coaching, and Special Projects.

High-performance, award-winning Change Leader with a multi-decade track record in excelling in B2C international P&L dynamics while maintaining multi-million-dollar operating budgets. Continually augmenting a progressive, internationally focused-career within high-end luxury and CPG companies.

Currently, Jen is COO and co-founder of Brawn Power a fast growing fitness tech start up in London. Brawn is revolutionising the fitness sector by making lifting more accessible and inclusive. Brawn's mission is to provide a fully digitised lifting experience, offering workout tracking, progress charting, and innovative solutions for both gym members and personal trainers.

David is a creative business leader who's making waves in the world of sports, fitness, and wellbeing.

Back in 2020, David got tired of seeing unimpressive perks and discounts wherever he turned in the fitness world. He knew there had to be a better way to treat members, so he started Endurance Zone. His goal? To give companies a way to reward customers with benefits that they would actually use and enjoy, helping to keep customers engaged and coming back for more. Thanks to his vision, Endurance Zone quickly grew into the biggest name in sports rewards around the globe.

David now leads a global team which supports a whole host of different organisations from governing bodies, gyms and health organisations to fitness apps and professional sports teams.

Endurance Zone are powering the likes of Virgin Active, Sweatcoin, British Cycling, Echelon and many more.

When he's not shaking things up in the business world, David loves to stay active. He's swapped his rugby gear for a bike, embracing cycling after his days playing for rugby for England. He understands what everyday fitness, sports and health consumers go through because he's one of them, and he's always looking out for new ways to improve the sector.

Anna excels at helping people get out of their own way, so that they can get unstuck in their lives and businesses. A former Secondary School teacher who set up her own successful enterprise before becoming Managing Director of Heart Centred Business, Anna and the HCB Team have helped thousands of women to create an income, a business and a mindset beyond anything they believed to be possible. With Heart Centred Businesses clients typically increasing their income by £50,000-100,000 within 12 months of implementing the HCB business principles, Anna teaches what works rather than what's popular.

Gill Cummings-Bell is the CEO of EMD UK. Gill has been a group exercise teacher for over 40 years and has provided education for hundreds of fitness professionals. Gill has considerable skills in the fitness sector, including class development, strategic management, quality assurance, and planning and development. Gill consults and presents both nationally and internationally, presenting workshops on education and health related topics around the world.

Lindsey works with organisations in a variety of sectors to create cultures where organisations and their people sustainably thrive. Focused on systemic change, she is the Research Director of the UK Fitness & Active Leisure Workforce State of Mind Survey, and co-founded Workplace Mental Wealth and The Good Work Pledge promoting employer-led action around workplace mental health. A frequent guest on podcasts, an event speaker and contributor in the B2B media, she presents, trains and comments on strategy, culture, communication, and wellbeing and the workforce. She’s currently studying for her Masters in Workplace Health and Wellbeing.

An Osteopath for nearly 20 years, Chris discovered first-hand how easy it is to work too many hours for too little money. He was over £100,000 in debt before he realised the problem was that he had never been trained how to run a successful business. 12 months later, after the right training and support, Chris had grown his income over 650%, and was running a six-figure practice. 9 years later, Chris, and his wife Karene, co-own 7 successful businesses, have trained more than 3000 business owners and are on a mission to create 1,000 heart centred millionaires.

Ellie started dancing from the age of three and decided to train professionally to follow a career in Dance and Musical Theatre. Ellie tore a tendon in her hip ending her career and changing the trajectory of her life. Already enrolled in her Yoga Teacher Training, she now had the added complication of doing it whilst severely injured. Although difficult, this was a benefit, as it allowed her to comprehend how each body is completely different and how yoga is so accessible to everyone.

In 2021 Ellie started teaching yoga in PE as part of a more diverse sports department at Heathfield School, followed by LVS Ascot, Woldingham and Old Palace of St Johns Whitgift. She has diversified to teaching Flourishing, an innovative mental health and wellbeing programme part of the curriculum at Heathfield aiming to promote positive education. Ellie created Chillz a yoga inspired wellbeing programme for Kidztivity, and is currently in training to be a Positive Psychology Coach.

Responsible for the deployment and execution of Technogym UK's digital solutions Martin leads a team built around fostering customer satisfaction, loyalty, long-term sustainability, and benefit. With a career built around fitness operations Martin understands the needs and challengers of operators and has spent the last 10 years at Technogym shaping, designing, and leading many successful digital projects across wide spectrum of fitness clubs as well as universities, corporates, and hospitality clients. Martin looks forward to sharing his insights at Elevate 2023 on the growing importance of digital in today’s market as well as some of the key pillars for success.

Dave has a wealth of fitness industry experience with over 20 years under his belt. Dave's background in operations and across the supply chain means he's worked with some of the industry's most prominent players – including David Lloyd, Les Mills, and ukactive.

His passion lies in working collaboratively to create lasting communities. Whether it's working with gym owners or operators and trainers, Dave knows that building strong relationships is the key to success.

For the past two years, Dave has been working with the team at xplor technologies. Helping health and fitness operators bring their digital experience to the next level, with software and payment solutions that enhance both sales and retention strategies. Dave knows that technology is an integral part of today's fitness industry, and he's passionate about helping clients stay at the forefront of this rapidly-changing landscape.

Dr Philip Graham-Smith has had a long and established career as a biomechanist working in academia, professional sport and private industry. Phil was the Head of Biomechanics and Innovation at Aspire Academy in Qatar for 10 years and prior to that Head of Department and Associate Head of School for Business and Engagement at the University of Salford. He is a Fellow and accredited member of BASES, a Chartered Scientist, an ISPAS Level 5 Accredited Performance Analyst, and a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (NSCA).

He provided biomechanical support to UK Athletics jumps squads for over 21 years prior to leaving for Qatar in 2013. In the 4 years leading to the London Olympics he was consultant Head of Biomechanics at the English Institute of Sport mentoring biomechanists working in the system. Through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership he was a consultant to the footwear company FitFlops from 2006 to 2013 where he helped translate biomechanical data into product design and marketing material.

With a keen interest in entrepreneurship and innovation Phil co-founded the sports technology company ForceDecks, a dual force platform system which has been adopted by over 2000 high performances sport institutes and professional sports teams worldwide.

His research interests and application have stemmed from his work with elite long and triple jumpers, understanding how they convert horizontal speed into vertical. This led naturally into changing direction and agility performance and the associated risk of injury.

He adopts a ‘performance solutions’ approach to research and engages with practitioners to form the right performance questions.

Tanya is Head of Insight and Innovation at Women in Sport, a UK charity with a 40-year record of success in securing change, based on its deep understanding of the needs and aspirations of women and girls and breaking down stubborn gender inequalities within the sports sector and beyond. Tanya leads the charity’s influential body of research to understand the impact of significant life-stages on women and girls’ sport and exercise journey. She passionately believes in the power of sport to transform lives and that women and girls should not be denied the joy and freedom sport and exercise offers. Using deep insights into their wider lives, she drives solutions that can create lasting change for women and girls in sport and society. Prior to her role at Women in Sport, Tanya worked in higher education as a Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology and is currently an Associate Lecturer at The Open University.

Clinically she specialises in women’s health physio and Ultrasound imaging of the pelvic floor. She treats all things pelvic health, bladder, bowel and sexual issues and runs a menopause MOT service.

Before starting up the clinic, she worked as superintendent physiotherapist at the out-patients department at the Central Middlesex Hospital and a research officer. Christien completed a master’s degree in clinical research methodology from King’s College and has coordinated a large clinical trial looking at the effects of physiotherapy for acute low back pain. Her work has been published in medical peer review journals worldwide.

She is the co-founder of the online Menopause Movement online training & community platform for health and fitness professionals, www.menopausemovement.co which was launched in September 21. The movement has created a community and training platform for the fitness and health world to confidently treat & train women into the menopause. She joined the educational subcommittee of the https://thepogp.co.uk/ in 2020, enjoying working alongside some very impressive physio peers to support training and awareness of pelvic health.

She loves everything about movement, continues to compete as an age-group athlete for British triathlon representing Britain. Much of her drive is supporting women in enjoying movement and staying strong.

www.whitehartclinic.co.uk

www.menopausemovement.co

Dan is founder and CEO of Parkour Generations, the multi-award winning and multi-national organisation for parkour, and has studied practical movement, functional skills and physical fitness his entire life, with an elite background in fighting arts before finding parkour.

Dan created the globally recognised A.D.A.P.T™ parkour coaching qualifications which have been delivered in over 35 countries, as well as the Parkour Fitness Specialist™ certifications, the worldwide Parkour For Schools Programme and the unique Animal Paths™ movement curriculum for young people. Dan was also central to the creation and success of the world’s first National Governing Body for the discipline, Parkour UK.

His education programmes, which focus on the science and art of coaching, movement, holistic competence and health, have been accredited by NASM, ACE, AFAA, CIMSPA, YMCA Awards, 1st4Sports, FIT and more, as well as being the centrepiece for events such as IDEAFIT and Paleo f(X) in the USA, Fitpro Live and Leisure Industry Week in the UK, Asian Fitness Convention, IFEX, Barefoot Training Summit and more.

Across a twenty year career in teaching and coaching Dan has delivered courses, workshops and events to tens of thousands of people in more than 45 countries, helping many go on to become certified parkour or fitness professionals themselves through his programmes.

His latest education programme, Movement DNA, brings together the central unifying principles of all movement practices to help people tap into their innate physical abilities to lead a healthier, more energised and more fulfilling life.

Sue Anstiss is an author, director, podcaster and entrepreneur who has driven change in women’s sport for over 30 years.

Sue is the director and producer of the Netflix documentary Game On. The Unstoppable Rise of Women’s Sport. Her book of the same name was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Sports Book Awards and longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year.

Sue is the creator and host of The Game Changers, an award-winning podcast that celebrates trailblazing women in sport, and is co-founder of the Women’s Sport Collective, an inclusive community for women working in sport. She also sits on England Rugby’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group, was a founding trustee of the Women’s Sport Trust and is a Trustee of Leisure Focus.

In 2018, Sue received an MBE for her services to women’s sport. In 2021, she received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Loughborough University and in 2023, was recognised in BBC Woman’s Hour Power List as one of 30 outstanding women in sport.

Tara Dillon was appointed as CEO of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity in January 2015. Tara began her career in Sport and Physical Activity as a lifeguard in her local centre back in 1987, whilst studying. Having gained hands on experience within local authority leisure, various management positions followed until in March 2001, she was appointed as Contracts Manager at DC Leisure Management.      

After 6 years with DCLM, Tara accepted the role of Executive Director of IQL-UK Ltd where she remained until her CIMSPA appointment.

Tara has a passion for the Sport and Physical Activity 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 the workforce and enhance the career prospects of those working in sport, leisure and

Ollie is a passionate trainer and educator, specialising in working with clients struggling with pain, injuries or conditions. He is driven to help other trainers bring out the best in their clients and using a combination of data-backed science, bad puns and stories, he teaches trainers to work with anyone.

As a tutor for FASTER Function, Ollie teaches the courses “Injury Recovery to Performance Specialist” and “Games for Pains”. He has worked in the fitness industry for over 15 years and focuses on helping clients struggling with pain to achieve things they dream to do again.

Gill Cummings-Bell is the CEO of EMD UK. Gill has been a group exercise teacher for over 40 years and has provided education for hundreds of fitness professionals. Gill has considerable skills in the fitness sector, including class development, strategic management, quality assurance, and planning and development. Gill consults and presents both nationally and internationally, presenting workshops on education and health related topics around the world.

Sue has over 30 years’ experience in the fitness industry as a group ex Instructor, PT and International Fitness presenter, developing programming and education in the UK and for American brands including TRX, TriggerPoint, BOSU, Stroop’s and Total Gym. She worked for Physical Company as Education Co-ordinator which led to her working on her own consultancy business developing programming for LA Fitness, with their launch of LA Primal Nationwide and latterly with Everyone Actives EA Series

Jacqui Hobbs is an Education and Training Consultant within the adult learning exercise and fitness sector. She supports organisations and individuals towards excellence in teaching, assessing and quality in designing and delivering fit-for-purpose training solutions to create lasting behaviour change.

Jacqui works with private and public sector companies (tier 1 – 3) and has 36 years’ experience of working directly with sector skills councils, national bodies, and training providers. She is currently spearheading the roll out of exercise and fitness qualifications across India and the Middle East to provide quality recognised provision.

Jacqui writes and delivers national 'train the trainer' programmes for government agencies and international organisations. She currently supports public, private sector and third sector organisations to develop job-specific learning and development programmes and advises UK and international training providers.

She has a BA (First Class Hons) Degree in Adult Education and Training from Greenwich University, and holds industry vocational qualifications; Assessor Award, Internal Quality Assurer Award and External Quality Assurer Award and is a qualified and certified Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) Master Practitioner and Neurolinguistic Programme (NLP) Train the Trainer Leader.

Jacqui writes, delivers and quality assures vocational training qualifications. She continues to be support and contribute to the development of FE national standards in fitness and exercise.

Doctor (Board Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician, General Practitioner, Scope Certified Obesity Specialist) | Psychology Coach | Educator | Award winning Content creator | Fitness Trainer | Entrepreneur | Serial volunteer

Founder & Director

Volve HEALTH

Psychology + Coaching + Consultancy + Training + Advisory

WELL-BEING X FITNESS X SOCIAL IMPACT

volvehealth.co.uk

Doctor NHS

Tutor & Examiner Institute of Health Sciences Education, Faculty of Medicine Queen Mary University of London

Learning Academy Associate, Lifestyle Medicine Core Accreditation Assessor, Regional Director, Special interest group Physical activity & Mental Health British Society of Lifestyle Medicine

Member of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity

Member of the UK & International Health Coaching Association

Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners

Member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (2007)

Graduate Member The British Psychological Society

SCOPE Certified World Obesity Federation

Graduate GP Leadership in Obesity & Weight management (GLOW) Royal College of General Practitioners

GP Special interest Group Royal College of General Practitioners, National Centre for Creative Health

Champion SELF CARE FORUM

Coach NHS Leadership Academy

Health Coach The Cancer Coach

Freelance writer, author, associate Medical Journalists Association

Fellow Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce

Health Influencer - FIDES Global network World Health Organisation

Physical Activity Champion The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, Department of Health and Social Care 2022-2023

Doctor & Games Maker London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games

STAND FOR HEALTH, for everyone, everywhere

The Global touring pop event & community education movement for WELL-BEING X FITNESS X SOCIAL IMPACT

Get in touch to collaborate and co-host an event

Innes has over 35 years experience in operations, marketing and senior management in the Health and Fitness Industry.

From hotel groups to the industry trade association, Innes has worked as a senior executive in some of the sector's leading organisations including

Group Operations Manager - De Vere Hotel Group, Operations & Marketing Director - Fitness First, Executive Director - The Fitness Industry Association (now UK Active), Operations Director - energie Fitness Franchise and Managing Director - energie Fitness Ireland.

In his current role as Director of Business Growth & Innovation at UK & International Health Coaching Association (UKIHCA), Innes now draws on all of this experience to promote the role of Health Coaching, grow the association and elevate the awareness of health coaching as an effective practice in personalised health care and health creation.

Recognising the value of health coaches in supporting individuals to achieve positive behaviour change, Innes is working hard to promote the practice of health coaching to the Physical Activity and Sports Sector, believing passionately that when integrated in to existing products and services, health coaching will improve attendance, adherence, retention and subsequently results for clients and operators, alleviating pressure on the health and care services.

Izabella continues to build the very first, pioneering professional body for Health Coaching in the world. Standing for professionalism, community and enterprise she is committed to spreading the word that skilled, professional health coaches are not only changing lives, but that a health coaching approach transforms health professionals’ practice and will transform healthcare delivery systems– nationally and globally.

As a former Health Research Psychologist and a qualified Nutrition & Lifestyle Medicine Health Coach, Izabella takes a whole-health perspective on the bio-psycho-emotional-social-spiritual-environmental influences that make up an individual’s unique lived experience.

With over 30 years’ experience in the health, wellness and executive management space, her roles have included: Health Research Psychologist in Public Health Medicine, NHS/Department of Health Programme Manager and Managing Director of a Management & Organisational Development Consultancy. She is the author of THE REAL FOOD SOLUTION in support of the British Association of Holistic Medicine and Healthcare’s (BHMA) Real Food Campaign UK.

Jo is passionate about helping people reach their full potential with health and wellbeing being at the heart of this. Physical activity forms one of the main cornerstones of her own life and she recognises the huge significance it has to living a healthy and happy life.

From her background in Sport and Exercise Sciences and Health Promotion, Jo was a former Research Fellow at Southampton, Edinburgh and St. Andrew's Universities. She gained a PhD from Warwick University, while working in the Division of Health Sciences, and later worked in the Unit of Academic Primary Care, where she served as Assistant Professor. In 2022 she gained a Level 5 Diploma in Integrated Health and Nutrition Coaching, and is currently completing her Level 3 Personal Training qualification.

In her current role as an NHS Health and Wellbeing Coach within a personalised care team, Jo supports patients across eight GP practices within the Leamington Spa Primary Care Network, where she delivers lifestyle clinics, one-to-one health coaching, physical activity sessions involving walking, running, swimming and ‘prambling’ (buggy walking!). She also presents and writes in the area of health coaching and lifestyle behaviour change to a variety of audiences. Jo also represents the UKIHCA as both a member and Physical Activity Ambassador, where she aims to raise awareness of the huge benefits that collaborations between health coaching professionals and physical activity professionals can bring to improving public health.

Rachel is an expert in the fields of health, sport, fitness and education. Her special interest is biomechanics and she heads up an organisation that teaches fitness and medical professionals how to screen and provide exercise interventions to prevent and manage injury as well as improve performance. Rachel works closely with her team on all health, fitness and education projects.

Anna excels at helping people get out of their own way, so that they can get unstuck in their lives and businesses. A former Secondary School teacher who set up her own successful enterprise before becoming Managing Director of Heart Centred Business, Anna and the HCB Team have helped thousands of women to create an income, a business and a mindset beyond anything they believed to be possible. With Heart Centred Businesses clients typically increasing their income by £50,000-100,000 within 12 months of implementing the HCB business principles, Anna teaches what works rather than what's popular.

With over 25 years of experience in the Leisure industry, Jo’s knowledge spans operations, health and safety, qualification creation and delivery, and lifeguarding. Having spent over eight years managing operations across over 70 swimming pools with several thousand lifeguards, Jo can relate to industry demands and requirements.

Jo is regarded as an expert in lifeguarding and is valued worldwide for her contribution and dedication to making swimming pools places where people can enjoy water safely. She represents RLSS UK on several working groups for the British Standards Institute and industry committees. Her knowledge and research on lifeguarding and swimming pool designs have been drawn on and presented worldwide.

Jo joined the RLSS UK in 2015 and now holds the position of Commercial Director.

Jo’s experience, knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm ensure that RLSS UK remains at the forefront of vocational and non-vocational qualifications for the Leisure industry and that the industry is provided with ongoing support and development as it evolves.

Chris has been working in the leisure industry since 1995 and his experience to-date has seen him progress from delivering parties and holiday camps at his local sports centre to high profile national roles for both public and private leisure operators.

Children’s activities, sport (particularly football) and fitness have always been at the core of Chris’ work and since his move from General Management in 2004 he has been responsible for developing innovative products and cutting edge brands for various high profile national and international organisations; such as Disney, Virgin Active, Thomas Cook, Challenger Sports, David Lloyd and global children's TV show LazyTown.

Chris has a flair for creating financially profitable products that truly engage children of all ages, increasing participation whilst at the same time re-energising staff and coaches set the task of bringing his products to life and using them to drive successful businesses.

Chris founded Kidztivity in 2010 with a single mission; to transform the children's activities industry. By leveraging a powerful set of collaborative solutions and industry expertise, from training, product development and technology, to consultancy and business growth, Kidztivity are able to effectively and efficiently address change, achieving better outcomes and inspiring new possibilities for partners across the globe.

Donna is an accomplished leader with extensive experience in family and junior programming. Since 2018, she has excelled as the Head of Family Experience for Virgin Active, where she oversees the strategic direction and execution of family-centric initiatives.

A recognised innovator in the children's activities sector, Donna is adept at scoping out projects, assessing their viability, and working closely with internal departments and marketing teams to bring these products to life. Her expertise extends to developing a comprehensive suite of sports, educational, and fitness products, as well as ancillary programmes like holiday camps and birthday parties, ensuring they meet the highest standards of quality and appeal in the UK and international markets. Donna's forward-thinking approach continually sets new benchmarks in creating engaging and impactful experiences for children and families.

Michael (Mikey) leads CreativeHUT’s direct sales and business development division. He has been a key member of the CreativeHUT family for 6 years, specialising in helping build services and solutions for organisations passionate about impacting the lives of teachers and students. When he is not working he is an avid sportsperson and volunteers as Head coach at his local boxing club.

CreativeHUT’s mission is to help children and adults become passionate about STEAM, Music and Esports, by giving EVERYONE the opportunity to get hands-on, and creative, with their fun and engaging resources and services. Educational technology is on the rise - making them your perfect companion in the movement to highlight the importance of STEAM subjects and change the future of education.

Their proud partners provide the most advanced, high-tech, resources which allows them to develop 21st century learning skills and build confidence in STEAM learning within schools and INSPIRE the creators of tomorrow. All of CreativeHUT’s resource partners have been carefully selected by a team of industry experts and valued educators, ensuring that they deliver the most impactful experiences."

Over the past twenty years Shep has led the design and development of several major entertainment brand propositions, spending time in Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and US. Shep’s wealth of experience spans theatre, theme parks, cruise, atmosphere entertainment, broadcasting, international character IP campaigns, commercial real estate and resort design.

Shep trained in theatre at Bretton Hall, then Film & Media History at Kings College London. Credits include Merlin Entertainment Group, Arts Council England, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Marella Cruises, Roompot, TUI Resorts, Warner Hotels, The BBC, The Maho Group, Ministry of Sound, NCB at The Rockefeller, Sonesta, Eden Rock & Belmond.

Working brand-wide at The Business Creative, Shep is responsible for leading the thoughtful innovation and creative development of new experiences for clients. “In everything we do, we think ’story first and all about the experience’, designing tailored strategies and creative processes that put client goals at the centre of our thinking. We pride ourselves on pushing our team and our clients to think about ‘what’s next’ and ‘what’s best’ for their audience. Pushing boundaries and stretching the imagination.”

As CEO of Clickables - a fast-growing online marketing agency, with a strong focus on the fitness, physio, leisure – Michael leads the agency to support clients’ goals and to drive awareness and lead generation campaigns utilising his over 15 years of experience in e-commerce and digital marketing.

Clayton support Technogym fitness club partners promote their facilities and member journey as well as as influencer and experience led actviaitons. With a background in agency marketing Clayton has extensive experience in campaign mapping and execution both in his previous roles and his Technogym experience.

Michael is the owner of Integra Personal Training and Integra Education. Integra specializes in delivering courses for exercise professionals in the areas of mechanics, anatomy and Personal Training.

Helen Tite, the dynamic Managing Director of iCareiMove, brings over two decades of entrepreneurial expertise dedicated to enhancing health and wellbeing. Renowned globally for training fitness professionals and captivating audiences, Helen is a radical facilitator, Thought Leader, and Health Coach, specialising in promoting wellness and pro-ageing strategies. In her coaching and courses, she also emphasises soft skills such as emotional resilience and stress management. Helen actively addresses menopause in the workplace through initiatives such as the "Menopause Muse" Facebook group and advocates for women's health in government consultations. Beyond health, she champions underrepresented groups, emphasising realistic goal-setting and long-term lifestyle changes. Helen's transformative presence is marked by expertise, empathy, and contagious enthusiasm, inspiring meaningful change.

After three decades David is well known for his unique fitness industry knowledge. Providing media commentary, articles, along with public speaking to spark debate within and create support for the sector at large. David and his team are recognised as the go-to for market trends, data and insight built from the annual National Fitness Audit. Passionate about Active Ageing and Climate Change David is at the forefront of new thinking on these subjects along with the new Collective Knowledge for the industry.

Sarah Watts is Chief Executive of Alliance Leisure, the award-winning leisure development company which has developed over 250 leisure facilities since Sarah founded the company in 1999 representing an investment value of more than £370m in leisure infrastructure.

Sarah’s continued ambition is to develop high quality public leisure that contributes to social and health benefits in local communities. Also appointed as chair of the ukactive Suppliers’ Council, Sarah supports the sector to thrive and plays a tangible role in encouraging growth, confidence and investment in the industry.

Glen Thurgood is an Author, Entrepreneur, Co-Founder and CEO of Huumans.io, a new digital wellbeing platform that puts data-led wellbeing conversations and interventions at the heart of an organisation's Wellbeing approach.

His mission is clear: to enhance the workplace health, wellness and productivity of individuals and organisations.

Drawing from his background as an athlete and athletic performance coach in professional sports, Glen brings over 25 years of expertise in the wellness, fitness, and professional sports industry. His extensive experience and drive enables him to lead organisations in the design and delivery of effective, engaging programs, and solutions for diverse clients and audiences.

Following nine books, with over 2 million sales worldwide, Glen has contributed to scientific papers and research and holds an MSc in Strength and Conditioning.

His passion for sharing insights and empowering others shines through his speaking engagements, writing endeavours, and coaching initiatives.

Glen envisions a world where everyone can become 1% better Huumans.

Join the journey at www.huumans.io and discover how Glen and the Huumans team are reshaping the landscape of wellness and business through their mission and commitment to transformative change.

We are on a journey for everyone to become 1% better Huumans.

Find out how at www.huumans.io

"Male innovator of the Year”, Will Flint, is the Founder and CEO of Energym, where he's leading the charge, and rebellion, against climate change. Recently awarded “Tech Startup of the Year”, Energym is a precision-engineering, tech-for-good scale-up based in Birmingham, UK, that has developed highly efficient, patented systems and equipment that efficiently captures the energy from peoples’ exercise, converting it into clean, green (and free) sustainable energy. As a self-titled “tech-geek” with an early career in the energy efficiency industry and a love for fitness (with a Bodybuilding Pro Card) - Will has built a business that delivers products and solutions that combine all the things he is passionate about. One that’s empowering the fitness industry to create a better future for our planet.

Find out how Energym is turning Human Power: On - www.energym.io

Andy Reed is the retired owner and Director of SajeImpact the Sports Think Tank and Loughborough University Institute for Sport Business.

Formerly the MP for Loughborough between 1997-2010, Andy has a strong association with Sport Policy having served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Sports Ministers and an adviser to various Ministers and Sports bodies during his time in Westminster.

After leaving parliament in 2010 he maintained his passion for sport. He was appointed Chair of the Sport and Recreation Alliance from 2010 to 2016 – the umbrella body for the 320 National governing bodies and associations of sport and after a spell on the Board until 2018 he is now a Vice-President. He led on sport policy and the Health agenda for the Alliance. He was awarded the Arthur Bell Trophy by the SRA for services to community sport. Prince Philip had wo it the year before and Lord Seb Coe won it the year after!

With a strong background in the fitness and wellbeing industry, Kate's known for her strategic thinking, innovative problem-solving, and success in areas such as business development, event production, partnership collaborations, operational leadership, project management, and concept creation. Kate's commitment to learning, staying ahead of the industry curve, and professional growth has allowed her to excel in her career and make a positive impact with her work.

With over 30 years of experience in the wellness sector, for which she is deeply passionate, Rachel is highly respected by all of her industry peers. Always operating with the greatest integrity, Rachel is not afraid to speak her mind in furtherance of driving the very highest standards within health & wellness.

Having operated as a successful gym owner, to leading business development within world-renowned Myzone, when Rachel speaks only the foolish would fail to listen.

Having worked in the leisure industry for over 20 years Alina has extensive experience at both management and board level. Starting her career as a Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor, Alina rapidly progressed into multisite management. Following many years in the private health club sector Alina then took on the role of Global Commercial and Operations Manager, overseeing sales in the UK and US, along with the management of the global distributors. Thereafter, she moved into a board-level role within the boutique sector before launching her own leisure consultancy business.

In the last 10 years Alina has moved on to successfully consult for over 100 boutique gyms and studios and launch GetSetGo! Group Limited. Alina now also consults for top performing international consulting company, Studio Grow who are focused on supporting their clients to build profitable and sustainable studio models.

Alina remains truly committed to improving the nation's health. Her love for helping people realise their potential and set them on their way to achieving great things inspires her every day.

Alina has a proven history of helping clients drive operational excellence, improve profitability, grow revenue, and develop high-performing teams across both established and start-up environmen

Lyndsey has over 24 years’ experience as a qualified Occupational Therapist, registered by the Health and Care Professions Council and a member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapy. Lyndsey leads the Sport for Confidence team of therapists with innovation, inspiration and care. Lyndsey uses physical activity as a therapeutic modality to promote good health and prevent ill-health, laying the foundations for how integrated health pathways can be delivered in meaningful partnership with leisure, sport, adult social care and health.

Becks career journey spans over two decades in the leisure industry, with a significant proportion of it with Everyone Active, who currently manage over 225 facilities in collaboration with 67 local authority partners. For the past 13 years, Becks has had the privilege of contributing to the organisation's mission and vision, particularly in my role as the Strategic Lead for Health and Wellbeing.

As Strategic Lead for Health and Wellbeing, Becks is responsible for leading the delivery of our Community Health and Wellbeing strategy, which is a key strand of our corporate plan. Together with our regional and local colleagues focusing on activity and wellbeing, the strategy aims to empower communities and individuals to embrace active daily living and lead healthier lifestyles with targeted programmes and initiatives.

Collaboration and co-design have been key to Becks approach in driving initiatives aimed at promoting health and wellbeing within our communities. Using experiences and insights, hand in hand with our valuable colleagues, stakeholders, local authorities, and community members to create a consistent approach that effectively addresses the diverse and evolving needs of our communities.

In addition to 13+ years in Corporate America, Bob brings 38+ years of experience in the Health & Fitness Sector to Elevate 2024. His Sector roles have included being a GroupEX Instructor, Personal Trainer, Fitness Director, Staff Training Director, Operations Director and Executive Director.

His “hands-on” experiences, with a laser-focus on business growth while being customer-centric, has made Bob a sought-after Educator, Presenter and Consultant on the Global Circuit

Joanne Is the Course Director of Education at Faster Health and Fitness, with 29 years of experience as a fitness professional, business owner, and international speaker.

She leads a community of over 4.5k female trainers, offering a mix of workshops, interviews, and podcasts. Her unique hybrid fitness approach combines group x instruction, personal training, and coaching.

Joanne is an active member of the IDEA and CIMSPA Personal Training Committee. She mentors fitness and wellness professionals globally, ensuring personalised, best scientific evidence-based client experiences.

Claire is a successful fitness entrepreneur with a unique background. She started her career as a graphic designer, then moved into marketing management and brand consultancy for corporate clients. Claire did very little exercise until she discovered dance fitness in her early thirties and this led her to create Clubbercise in 2013. Today roughly 100,000 people worldwide are taking regular classes and its success is mainly thanks to Claire's ability to relate to people's insecurities and break down barriers to participation in group exercise classes.

A 20-year fitness and leisure management professional with expertise in fitness and operations management, regional management, group fitness and personal training working in public, private and independent fitness providers.

With a passion for group exercise and creating new classes, developing instructors and trainers to deliver incredible fitness experiences to help people of Brighton and Hove become fitter and stronger!

An Osteopath for nearly 20 years, Chris discovered first-hand how easy it is to work too many hours for too little money. He was over £100,000 in debt before he realised the problem was that he had never been trained how to run a successful business. 12 months later, after the right training and support, Chris had grown his income over 650%, and was running a six-figure practice. 9 years later, Chris, and his wife Karene, co-own 7 successful businesses, have trained more than 3000 business owners and are on a mission to create 1,000 heart centred millionaires.

Responsible for the deployment and execution of Technogym UK's digital solutions Martin leads a team built around fostering customer satisfaction, loyalty, long-term sustainability, and benefit. With a career built around fitness operations Martin understands the needs and challengers of operators and has spent the last 10 years at Technogym shaping, designing, and leading many successful digital projects across wide spectrum of fitness clubs as well as universities, corporates, and hospitality clients. Martin looks forward to sharing his insights at Elevate 2023 on the growing importance of digital in today’s market as well as some of the key pillars for success.

A leading authority on member retention, Guy is on a mission is to help more people to be healthier and happier by spreading the word on member-retention initiatives that work. This work has led to the HealthSeeker movement, helping clubs to attract, engage, and support people who don’t want to work-out but do want better health.

Since founding GGFit in 2008, he has worked with independent clubs, national chains, boutiques, and low-cost operators. Projects range from data analysis to building retention policies and processes, running coaching workshops and sending member communications.

Guy’s systems background means he can help people understand complex processes and programmes. He also knows what makes people tick, having trained, and practiced as a successful life coach.

He hosts the popular YourDreamGym podcast, co-founded The Collective, a network of fitness industry professionals, is a regular speaker at industry events, and his book Stick Around has 4.9 stars on Amazon.

Josh is the Third Space Head of Education.

His role is to educate, assess and progress their personal trainers whilst ensuring quality across the group.

SPINEFITTER by SISSEL® Educator, Duncan has been teaching Pilates for over 17 years and has been part of the Teacher Training team for Body Control Pilates for the last 12 years. Duncan is certified in all aspects of Matwork and Studio Equipment. He is also a keen runner, having competed in 21 marathons, four 50k’s and numerous half marathons and 10k races. Duncan uses his in-depth knowledge of running form and conditioning to design dedicated Pilates sessions for runners.

Duncan developed the Pilates for Runners teacher training course, and along with this he now teaches his own movement workshops around the UK. Duncan has completed nine days of the AiM (Anatomy in Motion) Immersion course, and the Closed Chain Biomechanics of the Lower Limb. Duncan runs his own Studio, and he also teaches out of a studio at the Victoria Park Harriers running club in London. Duncan has been a keen advocate of the benefits of using the SPINEFITTER right from their original launch.

Dr. Johann Issartel is an Associate Professor in the School of Health and Human Performance at Dublin City University. His research includes perception and action, behavioural neuroscience and physical literacy in youth.

Johann and Jamie are co-founders of MoveAhead, the first Motional Analysis Platform built specifically for Children and Teens. With MoveAhead’s transformative technology, Johann and Jamie have developed a range of digital tools, apps and games that empower children’s physical development and provide developmental insights on movement performance and progress. MoveAhead is currently seen in Kinder’s Applaydu ‘moving’ 50 Million children and families globally.

Dr. Jamie McGann is a Senior Research Fellow at the ADAPT Centre, Trinity College Dublin. His research is in digitising children’s physical development.

Johann and Jamie are co-founders of MoveAhead, the first Motional Analysis Platform built specifically for Children and Teens. With MoveAhead’s transformative technology, Johann and Jamie have developed a range of digital tools, apps and games that empower children’s physical development and provide developmental insights on movement performance and progress. MoveAhead is currently seen in Kinder’s Applaydu ‘moving’ 50 Million children and families globally.

Lisa West is Head of Policy, Partnerships and Public Affairs at Women in Sport and is a passionate advocate for gender equality. Lisa has worked in Local Authority, at Swim England and as a consultant, designing and delivering many projects across sport and leisure. Her 16 years in the sector enable a deep understanding of the system and how it needs to change to enable women and girls to thrive as participants, volunteers, professionals and, very importantly as leaders. Lisa believes whole heartedly in the power that sport and physical activity has to improve lives.

Having heard someone describe themselves once as an ‘enthusiastic amateur’ when it came to their sporting endeavours, Lisa has shamelessly used it since, regularly playing netball and taking on triathlons. Outside of work and sport Lisa is a School Governor and a member of the UK Coaching Advisory Group

Since starting in the industry in 1996 as a group exercise instructor and lifeguard, then onto PT, Fitness Manager, NVQ Trainer and since 2010 Head of Fitness, Sarah has seen a lot of changes! She enjoys being part of a dynamic and forward-thinking senior team within Places Leisure focusing on community, health, fitness, innovation, partnership working and inclusion.

The Big Sister Project has positively impacted Places Leisure and changed our operating model for the better, for good. Sarah truly believes that community-based, accessible activity for all is the perfect approach to improve the health of the nation.

Natasha Hood is the Active Environments Manager at London Sport, where she manages the Space for Girls project. With a background in environmental policy, Natasha is passionate about the relationship between design and public health. Her interest in creating health environments was heightened during the pandemic, which underscored the inequities and barriers that certain groups face in accessing physical activity and health services. Natasha advocates for spaces that encourage and support physical activity through inclusive and active design with equitable access to sports and physical activity.

Natasha was a college tennis player in the US where she quickly picked up on American slang and became a fan of American sports - just please don't ask her the rules of American football! An ardent supporter of the power of sports and physical activity to change lives, Natasha believes in the power of non-traditional spaces and activities to break down barriers. She is dedicated to creating environments where girls and women feel welcomed and empowered, inspiring a new generation of active, empowered women.

Clare is an experienced senior executive in the sport and physical activity field with 15+ years of expertise, including her previous role as Customer Engagement Manager for RLSS UK, Clare leads a team of seventeen professionals. Clare’s focus is to develop and implement a national strategy that makes a meaningful impact at a hyper-local level. Engaging with over 20,000 members and 500 partners, including influential leisure operators and governing bodies, Clare's work supports and empowers the sector's employees and volunteers, contributing to CIMSPA's vision of a respected and regulated industry.

Natasha, an experienced professional in the field of Further Education has over a decade of hands-on experience, she has developed an extensive knowledge of qualification design, development, and assessment. Natasha is passionate about cultivating the growth of the next generation of learners through fit for purpose high-quality teaching, learning, and assessment methods. She is dedicated to driving the sector forward by implementing employer-led professional standards that will contribute to its advancement.

Tara Dillon was appointed as CEO of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity in January 2015. Tara began her career in Sport and Physical Activity as a lifeguard in her local centre back in 1987, whilst studying. Having gained hands on experience within local authority leisure, various management positions followed until in March 2001, she was appointed as Contracts Manager at DC Leisure Management.      

After 6 years with DCLM, Tara accepted the role of Executive Director of IQL-UK Ltd where she remained until her CIMSPA appointment.

Tara has a passion for the Sport and Physical Activity 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 the workforce and enhance the career prospects of those working in sport, leisure and

Jo is passionate about helping people reach their full potential with health and wellbeing being at the heart of this. Physical activity forms one of the main cornerstones of her own life and she recognises the huge significance it has to living a healthy and happy life.

From her background in Sport and Exercise Sciences and Health Promotion, Jo was a former Research Fellow at Southampton, Edinburgh and St. Andrew's Universities. She gained a PhD from Warwick University, while working in the Division of Health Sciences, and later worked in the Unit of Academic Primary Care, where she served as Assistant Professor. In 2022 she gained a Level 5 Diploma in Integrated Health and Nutrition Coaching, and is currently completing her Level 3 Personal Training qualification.

In her current role as an NHS Health and Wellbeing Coach within a personalised care team, Jo supports patients across eight GP practices within the Leamington Spa Primary Care Network, where she delivers lifestyle clinics, one-to-one health coaching, physical activity sessions involving walking, running, swimming and ‘prambling’ (buggy walking!). She also presents and writes in the area of health coaching and lifestyle behaviour change to a variety of audiences. Jo also represents the UKIHCA as both a member and Physical Activity Ambassador, where she aims to raise awareness of the huge benefits that collaborations between health coaching professionals and physical activity professionals can bring to improving public health.

Emma is based in Birmingham and created drum n bounce in 2012, an uplifting dance fitness brand to drum & bass music. Combining energetic and fun aerobics alongside quality custom designed drum & bass music mixes. She has delivered the session at music festivals and events throughout the UK for well over a decade as well as weekly classes locally for adults. The sessions are designed to create healthy highs through collective dance and big basslines. In contrast to this Emma is also a trauma informed yoga teacher, specialising in sessions for marginalised communities. These include male prisons, women’s probation hostel, recovery centres for those in recovery from substance misuse and chair yoga for those with mobility issues. Her passion is very much about offering wellness that is accessible and meets people where they are at. The DJing and radio hosting is centred around electronic dance music and serves as another way to engage with people to generate joy and energy.

Hi, I’m Maddie! I’m a personal trainer who specialises in disability fitness. 4 years ago I went to a gym for the first time and I was so out of place. My chair, my knowledge of fitness at the time, my own self judgment - I almost didn’t go back! But now I am an adaptive Powerlifter and I have competed in deadlift competitions against able bodied athletes (and won)!

My motto is ‘just because I’m disabled, doesn’t mean I’m unable’ and I strive to make that statement ring true to not only myself, but anyone with a disability or condition of any kind that makes them feel limited and different.

I’m on a mission to make the fitness industry more accessible for all, and this is only the start.

Donna is an Author, Yoga & Wellbeing Coach, Educator and Facilitator. She is also the Founder of Curvesomeyoga. Donna is passionate about making the yoga and wellbeing spaces more inclusive and diverse so that everybody can experience the transformational benefits of yoga and wellbeing. She has written for and featured countless digital and
print publications such as Red Magazine, HuffPost, Yoga Journal, Om Yoga & Lifestyle Magazine, Women’s Health Magazine and Stylist Magazine. She has also been on BBC Radio London and Channel 4.

Her mission is to evolve the image of yoga to make it more accessible and inclusive. Her debut book ‘Teaching Body Positive Yoga’ was published in August 2022.

Former Team GB rower Baz Moffat retired from the sport to launch a successful international consulting and coaching business. A prominent voice in the women’s health movement, Baz specialises in the pelvic floor - a pivotal yet vastly under appreciated nucleus in the female body.

Expertise includes:

○ Pelvic floor
○ Prolapse
○ Urinary stress incontinence
○ Being active during the menopause
○ Constipation: bowel and bladder health
○ Being an elite female athlete (but not being trained as a woman)
○ Post-natal women returning to exercise Qualifications

○ BSc Sports Science (First Class) University of Birmingham
○ MSc – Health Related Behaviour Change, University of Bristol
○ Personal Trainer
○ GB Rowing Team, 2005-2008
○ Coached 100s of women around the world to help them in pelvic health
○ Holistic Core Restore Coach, 2016 – 2020

Ruth became Chief People Officer (CPO) at The Gym Group plc in December 2023, having joined The Gym Group as People & Development Director in October 2022. Prior to this Ruth held a number of senior HR roles in leading leisure and hospitality businesses, including People Director roles for Zizzi Restaurants and Cote Brasserie, and spent over 11 years at Whitbread Plc in a variety of HR roles.

Ruth has always had a passion for health and fitness, especially group exercise. She has a Les Mills Body Pump instructor qualification, teaching regular weekly classes in gyms local to her.

Ruth has spearheaded an initiative at The Gym Group, focused on upskilling managers and personal trainers on the specifics of female health and fitness, so that they are equipped to better support their female members and clients. The Female Health First programme is delivered in partnership with The Well HQ, with a specific focus on menopause in the workplace, which has resulted in The Gym Group being the first gym chain to receive the Menopause Friendly Employer accreditation.

The Gym Group was a pioneer of the low-cost gym model in the UK, with a mission to break down barriers to fitness for all, with 24/7 opening and flexible, no-contract memberships. As of 31 December 2023, there were 233 gyms and 850,000 members nationwide.

As a Performance Lifestyle (PL) Coach at the UK Sports Institute (UKSI) Dawn has been coaching, mentoring, and developing the lifestyle, well-being and transition needs of Great Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes for the last twenty years to ensure that the holistic needs of the person behind the performer.

On a part time basis, she leads the UKSI PL national transition programme ensuring that managing change, developing a person’s sense of purpose and identity alongside maintaining well-being is at the heart of the support provided to athletes as they transition from elite sport.

Alongside this she now uses these experiences, through her own business, WinWell, to help coach individuals, teams, and businesses to create sustainable well-being, transition, and coaching practices to ensure people feel supported during periods of significant change.

Anna excels at helping people get out of their own way, so that they can get unstuck in their lives and businesses. A former Secondary School teacher who set up her own successful enterprise before becoming Managing Director of Heart Centred Business, Anna and the HCB Team have helped thousands of women to create an income, a business and a mindset beyond anything they believed to be possible. With Heart Centred Businesses clients typically increasing their income by £50,000-100,000 within 12 months of implementing the HCB business principles, Anna teaches what works rather than what's popular.

The Fitness Group is the UK’s leading Fitness Education Training Provider. Join Lianne Clark and Richard Jay for an interactive workshop on mental health disorders, their signs, symptoms, treatments, and risk factors. This will equip you to support yourself and others effectively. Together, we will discover credible sources of information and support, identify the responsibility of a fitness professional, and determine how and when to seek further support.

Becca Douglas boasts over two decades of experience in PR, communications, and marketing, with a strong focus on marketing technology. Having worked for and supported renowned brands such as Les Mills, Pure Gym, Sport England, England Athletics, and Freemotion, Becca’s expertise lies not only in driving innovative and effective PR and content strategies but also in leveraging cutting-edge technologies like AI and Web 3.0 to optimise marketing and commercial efforts. As a panel chair, Becca brings invaluable insights into the intersection of AI, Web 3.0 and marketing technology, offering valuable perspectives on how AI is reshaping the marketing landscape.

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Steffie Bryant is a seasoned fitness industry professional with a wealth of experience spanning over a decade.

Her journey in the fitness industry began as a Membership Consultant, gradually progressing through various managerial roles at esteemed establishments like Goodlife Health Clubs and Go Health Clubs in Australia.

Currently serving as the Chief of Staff at Keepme.ai, Steffie brings a unique blend of strategic leadership and operational expertise to the table. With a passion for advancing the education of operators around the topic of AI and emerging technologies, Steffie is well positioned to impart her knowledge on the uk fitness industry.

Although an Aussie at heart, Steffie relocated to England seven years ago and is now a well known face to those in the industry here in the UK and beyond.

Aaron Rice is the Chief Information Officer at Vorboss, where he leads the software development of London’s next-generation fibre network.

Rob is a highly motivated, enthusiastic, and dynamic leader with a proven track record in exceeding targets, implementing new revenue streams, and developing strategic initiatives. He has an extensive background in public, private, and trust leisure provisions, managing operations from single sites to multi-site complexes.

Currently serving as the Chief Commercial Officer at Airparx, Rob plays a pivotal role in the global market leader's success in designing, manufacturing, installing, and maintaining Family Entertainment Centres (FECs). These centres feature a variety of attractions including inflatable parks, trampoline parks, soft play areas, ninja warrior courses and interactive and VR experiences. Rob's expertise and visionary approach continue to drive innovation and growth in the leisure industry.

A leading authority on member retention, Guy is on a mission is to help more people to be healthier and happier by spreading the word on member-retention initiatives that work. This work has led to the HealthSeeker movement, helping clubs to attract, engage, and support people who don’t want to work-out but do want better health.

Since founding GGFit in 2008, he has worked with independent clubs, national chains, boutiques, and low-cost operators. Projects range from data analysis to building retention policies and processes, running coaching workshops and sending member communications.

Guy’s systems background means he can help people understand complex processes and programmes. He also knows what makes people tick, having trained, and practiced as a successful life coach.

He hosts the popular YourDreamGym podcast, co-founded The Collective, a network of fitness industry professionals, is a regular speaker at industry events, and his book Stick Around has 4.9 stars on Amazon.

I am currently the COO of Plymouth Active Leisure a local authority trading company with the task of making Plymouth the most physically active coastal city by 2024. I have worked in several locations and successfully connected our industry and the health services through a collaborative and systemic approach. First, by understanding the local need, analysing the workforce and then through a partnership approach creating impactful sustainable programs to benefit community health & wellbeing. I believe in getting on with 'stuff' and the key to the 'pivot' is a truly collaborative approach and investing in people.

Jo is passionate about helping people reach their full potential with health and wellbeing being at the heart of this. Physical activity forms one of the main cornerstones of her own life and she recognises the huge significance it has to living a healthy and happy life.

From her background in Sport and Exercise Sciences and Health Promotion, Jo was a former Research Fellow at Southampton, Edinburgh and St. Andrew's Universities. She gained a PhD from Warwick University, while working in the Division of Health Sciences, and later worked in the Unit of Academic Primary Care, where she served as Assistant Professor. In 2022 she gained a Level 5 Diploma in Integrated Health and Nutrition Coaching, and is currently completing her Level 3 Personal Training qualification.

In her current role as an NHS Health and Wellbeing Coach within a personalised care team, Jo supports patients across eight GP practices within the Leamington Spa Primary Care Network, where she delivers lifestyle clinics, one-to-one health coaching, physical activity sessions involving walking, running, swimming and ‘prambling’ (buggy walking!). She also presents and writes in the area of health coaching and lifestyle behaviour change to a variety of audiences. Jo also represents the UKIHCA as both a member and Physical Activity Ambassador, where she aims to raise awareness of the huge benefits that collaborations between health coaching professionals and physical activity professionals can bring to improving public health.

Hannah oversees the delivery and development of specialist exercise pathways at Kirklees Active Leisure. Kirklees Active Leisure currently hosts 4 specialist exercise programmes: Moving Mums (pre and post-natal), Fitness for Health (L3 exercise referral), Live Well (phase IV cardiac rehabilitation) and First Steps to Fitness (lifestyle change).

Having completed a Master’s of Clinical Exercise Physiology, Hannah has specialised in exercise for cancer patients and cardiac rehabilitation. Hannah believes exercise is a powerful tool to help us find balance in our lives, to uplift and empower us.

She is passionate about helping people discover or rediscover their love of exercise and realise the benefits exercise can have on our bodies and minds, especially in challenging times.

With over 20 years of experience in the Fitness industry, Sarah’s roles have included; fitness teaching, group fitness management, presenting and training fitness professionals around the world, as well as leading and developing award winning teams both in the UK and internationally.

Currently in the role of Instructor Experience Development Director, Sarah is leading the instructor training, education, engagement and growth strategy for Les Mills UK along with building the relevant industry partnerships to support this.

Charlton Clarke, National Account Director for Les Mills UK has over 18 years’ experience working across Health and Fitness. With experience as an Instructor, trainer, operator and supplier before joining Les Mills 9 years ago, Charlton brings a wide scope of insight and knowledge to help drive engagement within the industry. Charlton collaborates with many operators across the UK and is dedicated to help business partners achieve their goals by building long term partnerships that get more people moving.

A Balanced Body Educator and Pilates Fitness Programs Manager, Christine deploys Balanced Body's Pilates Programs for Fitness Professionals worldwide and supports our key commercial fitness accounts with instructor training and education.

With a BS in Kinesiology and deep experience in commercial fitness environments, Christine has upskilled a diversity of fitness instructors in the Pilates method and how to apply it effectively in health clubs, gyms, wellness centers and public recreation centers.

Eugene is a highly experienced executive leader with significant expertise in play, physical activity, leisure, sport, parks, wellbeing, youth, culture, active travel, events & digital.

His executive career has included over twenty-five years working across Local Government in high-profile leadership roles, alongside a secondment to Sport England. Additionally, he had a ten-year tenure as Founder & CEO at Parkour UK, the NGB for parkour/freerunning and two-years at Parkour Earth, the sports international federation. More recently he has taken on the role of Executive Director at Play England, the national charity championing the children’s right to play and recreation.

In unison with his executive career, he has built a diverse non-executive, committee and board advisory portfolio that currently includes Committee Member at OpenActive and World Urban Parks. Previously he spent ten years as a committee member at the British Standards Institution (BSi) working on various standards including; parkour equipment, children’s playground equipment, sports, playground, and recreational equipment, freely accessible exercise equipment, benefit-risk assessment, amongst others.

With over 15 years’ experience working in the Leisure industry with a varied client base, Alison is passionate about providing individuals at all ages, abilities and backgrounds an opportunity and safe space to exercise and work towards their personal goals.

For a large part of her career, Alison’s focus has been in exercise rehabilitation, specifically for patients with a cardiac, cancer or MSK diagnosis. Alison has supported the set-up, delivery and roll out of many referral provisions whilst working closely with local NHS services, to ensure a smooth transition for the patient, and provide a safe and effective delivery model to encourage long term behavioural change.

Alison has also had experience in exercise prescription and activity roll out for children in her local community during school holiday periods and as Partnerships Manager at ukactive supported the delivery of the Nike Open Doors project in its final delivery year in 2023. ukactive has created a Blueprint for children’s activity, to provide guidance to their members and CYP providers to continue to deliver the Open Doors model. This will enable many more schools to open their doors during the holiday periods and encourage more children to be more active, more often. As a result of this project, ukactive was proud to be recognised within the Governments Sport Strategy.

Alison is also a member of ukactive’s internal CYP steering group, supporting the delivery of their strategy to support activity provision for children and young people.

Amanda is a research psychologist, passionate about children’s play.

She is the CEO of the research consultancy Fundamentally Children (www.fundamentallychildren.com) and Dr Gummer’s Good Play Guide (www.goodplayguide.com) - a consumer-facing review site for children’s toys, apps, learning and baby products. She is the independent chair of the Association of Play Industries, is an NED for Families in Focus CIC, and is on the advisory board of a small number of mission-led startups.

Amanda has a PhD in neuropsychology, the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education and over 20 years experience working with children and families. Widely considered as the UK’s go to expert on play, parenting and child development, her book ‘Play’ was published in May 2105 and has been translated into different languages with extracts being published in the USA’s Toy Industry Association’s Genius of Play initiative for which she is an expert ambassador.

Amanda has an increasing international profile and was commissioned by the Toy Association to create the STEAM toy accreditation framework. She is the UK Chapter chair for Women in Toys - an international networking group within the toy and licensing industries.

Amanda is regularly in the media and continues to take an active role in research, presenting papers at various international conferences. She is often involved in government policy around children’s issues, presenting her Balanced Play Model at the European Parliament in September 2019.

Ian started his career in the Leisure industry in the early 1990s, progressing to running facilities such as public pools, hotel leisure clubs, 50-metre swimming pools, water parks, and finally, a National Stadium.

After leaving facility management in 2009, he became a registered Chartered Health and Safety Practitioner in sports and leisure.

He gained valuable insight into all aspects of the industry, as well as extensive knowledge and expertise across the sector. He is particularly interested in swimming pools, plant rooms, and the lifeguarding and supervision of swimming pools and open water.

In recent years, he has been involved in several publications in the UK and course development for several awarding bodies in the UK and Commonwealth.

He is also the co-author and editor of several pool plant manuals and publications. Now, working on plant room specifications for several large operators for new builds, refurbishment work, and problem-solving for pools, his work has taken him all over the world, including pools in Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East.

Ian is passionate about the safe supervision of swimming pools, open water, and drowning prevention.

Dan is a distinguished gym owner and global wellness consultant renowned for founding the Wholeman Mission Charity.

His no-nonsense approach to fitness merges physical, mental, and emotional well-being, aiming to improve lives through comprehensive wellness strategies.

Through his charity, Dan passionately advocates for mental health awareness, particularly among men, fostering a supportive community.

His expertise has guided diverse clients, from corporate teams to special forces, in achieving optimal health.

Dan's gym is not just a fitness centre but a cornerstone of transformation and support, embodying his commitment to fostering holistic wellness across communities.

Accomplished Senior Executive adept in Sales & Business Process Improvement, showcasing a rich background spanning the realms of technology, human resources, and nuclear industries.

Demonstrates expertise in Sales, Operations Management, Coaching, Lean Management, Six Sigma, Strategic Business Planning, and leveraging Automation Technology such as RPA to drive transformative change.

Passionate about fostering employee well-being as a cornerstone for talent retention.

An Osteopath for nearly 20 years, Chris discovered first-hand how easy it is to work too many hours for too little money. He was over £100,000 in debt before he realised the problem was that he had never been trained how to run a successful business. 12 months later, after the right training and support, Chris had grown his income over 650%, and was running a six-figure practice. 9 years later, Chris, and his wife Karene, co-own 7 successful businesses, have trained more than 3000 business owners and are on a mission to create 1,000 heart centred millionaires.

Peter Horobin is a Sports Medicine and Specialist Musculoskeletal Osteopath and Clinical Director of one of Britain’s leading multidisciplinary medical and performance centres - Acer House Practice.

He is the Sports Osteopath for several Team GB sprinters, Olympic athletes and professional footballers and has previously worked for British Athletics and supported numerous athletes at international tournaments such as the Commonwealth Games and Paralympics.

Duncan became the founder CEO of South Downs Leisure in 2015. The group has nine leisure facilities in West Sussex employing over 400 staff and with a turnover of £10m. South Downs Leisure combines its commercial operation with the provision of health and wellbeing services for local people and supporting good causes.

Duncan’s philosophy is built around, ‘a heart is very much in the community and helping others’, but he recognises that to do this successfully requires a business model that manages the balance of People, Planet and Profit: the triple bottom line.

In 2022 South Downs Leisure launched their first sustainability strategy with a focus on the triple bottom line. This four-year strategy established a vision that saw beyond this period to make their centres carbon Net Zero. Duncan is a Green Business Champion with Let’s Go Net Zero and helps SMEs to get moving with sustainability.

Duncan’s advice to any organisation just starting out is to start small, involve the whole team and lead from the top. If you can develop a cultural change, your team will do the rest.

Chris Windram is co-founder and CEO of Quoox, the specialist premium gym software and business service provider.

Across multiple companies and industries, Chris has delivered cloud-based software solutions for companies ranging from large blue-chip organisations to small independents. With a passion for establishing a balanced life through productivity and efficiency, he and the Quoox team have led a number of innovations within the fitness industry.

Working to make a tangible difference in the lives and businesses of small, independent gym owners, Chris is proud that he and his dedicated team are able to bring the Gym Mastery Theatre to Elevate ’24.

Jon Kohn has an extensive background in large premium commercial fitness businesses. He began his career at Bodylife in the early 2000s before moving to LA Fitness, where he successfully opened the Leadenhall Street location as a Sales Manager in London. Between 2001 and 2007, Jon held senior roles with Esporta, including General Manager and Regional Sales Director, before joining David Lloyd Clubs in 2007. During his 14 years with David Lloyd, he held various senior positions such as Head of Gym, Regional Director, and New Club Opening Manager. In 2022, Jon co-founded Thrive Gyms, where he and his business partner Vicky now run a successful small group personal training gym in Essex.

“Sohail Rashid is a dynamic entrepreneur who has seamlessly integrated his passion for fitness with innovative technology. Having founded two successful tech start-ups, he transitioned from the corporate world to establish Brawn, an app designed to make lifting accessible, enjoyable, and community-driven. Through Brawn, Sohail empowers individuals to step out of their comfort zones, connect with others, and achieve their fitness goals, promoting both physical and mental well-being. His commitment to creating a supportive environment in the powerlifting community exemplifies his dedication to inspiring others and setting a positive example for his children and beyond.”

Chris has been working in the leisure industry since 1995 and his experience to-date has seen him progress from delivering parties and holiday camps at his local sports centre to high profile national roles for both public and private leisure operators.

Children’s activities, sport (particularly football) and fitness have always been at the core of Chris’ work and since his move from General Management in 2004 he has been responsible for developing innovative products and cutting edge brands for various high profile national and international organisations; such as Disney, Virgin Active, Thomas Cook, Challenger Sports, David Lloyd and global children's TV show LazyTown.

Chris has a flair for creating financially profitable products that truly engage children of all ages, increasing participation whilst at the same time re-energising staff and coaches set the task of bringing his products to life and using them to drive successful businesses.

Chris founded Kidztivity in 2010 with a single mission; to transform the children's activities industry. By leveraging a powerful set of collaborative solutions and industry expertise, from training, product development and technology, to consultancy and business growth, Kidztivity are able to effectively and efficiently address change, achieving better outcomes and inspiring new possibilities for partners across the globe.

Sue has over 30 years’ experience in the fitness industry as a group ex Instructor, PT and International Fitness presenter, developing programming and education in the UK and for American brands including TRX, TriggerPoint, BOSU, Stroop’s and Total Gym. She worked for Physical Company as Education Co-ordinator which led to her working on her own consultancy business developing programming for LA Fitness, with their launch of LA Primal Nationwide and latterly with Everyone Actives EA Series

With over a decade's experience working in the sector, Ricky Boardman is a seasoned practitioner and leader in the field of research in sport and recreation. In his role as the Head of Research and Development at the Sport and Recreation Alliance, Ricky spearheads initiatives aimed at increasing access and opportunity for physical activity in communities.

Ricky has a track record of driving impactful change through strategic research and development project, his vision extends beyond the present, constantly seeking ways to shape the future landscape of sports and recreation for the betterment of all involved.

Ricky's leadership is characterized by his dedication to collaboration, fostering partnerships that bring together diverse perspectives and expertise to tackle the industry's most pressing challenges.

His commitment to innovation, coupled with his unwavering dedication to the advancement of sports and recreation, makes him a driving force in shaping the future of the industry.

Andy is Chair of GM Active and a Director with Miova - a company that is helping organisations to understand how to partner effectively with health and social care through utilising a Systems thinking, Place-based approach. A former CEO of a number of leisure Trusts as well as experience with Virgin Active, Fitness First and others and a former Director with Serco Leisure, Andy has a unique blend of experience and is increasingly seen as the 'go to' person when talking about the pivot to active wellbeing.

Jon has held this position at GM Active for over 2 years now, where he manages the membership of the 12 Greater Manchester leisure trusts at GM Active, focusing on bringing the strategy ‘We move as one’ to fruition.

Jon’s previously worked within the aquatics industry, where he held various roles with Stockport Sports Trust (now Life Leisure), the Swimming Teachers Association and ASA / Swim England over a 15 year period. In addition to this Jon held numerous voluntary positions from coaching rugby and chairing a rugby club to school governor and trustee for Active Tameside.

Jon’s passion is to make a difference to others and where it matters most, which led him to taking up his role at GM Active.

Over the last 18 months Jon has led on the Pivot to Active Wellbeing project, leading the ‘pivot’ project and the transition of leisure throughout Greater Manchester from leisure to health and wellbeing and Wellness. Last year there was a strong focus on the collection of insight to enable the project to progress, allowing the collective to now focus on implementing the necessary changes for the sustainable future of our sector.

Duncan and his team at SLC has an unrivalled track record in transforming public leisure services for inclusive and active communities.

Firstly, supporting local authorities in pivoting their leisure services to active wellbeing.

Secondly, shaping the approach local authorities take through the design and planning of leisure, sport, physical activity and wellbeing services.

Thirdly, driving improvements in public leisure procurement over the last decade, leading the shift away from price to a greater emphasis on strategic outcomes and social value.

In 2020-21 Duncan lead the 'A Moment to Pivot' Programme and has recently completed SLC's workstreams for the Greater Manchester Pivot to Active Wellbeing Programme. SLC has worked alongside a range of progressive local authorities supporting their transformation of their leisure services towards a greater focus on active wellbeing. This includes North Yorkshire Council, Stoke City Council, Bury Council and Wigan Council.

SLC - a B Corp Certified company has delivered some exceptional outcomes for major UK cities and over 175 local authorities over the last 15 years. This has resulted in increased activity levels and wider health outcomes through a significant number of successful developments, operating partnerships and place based work.

His 35-year career spans from working in inner-city facilities, community use in schools, developing and operating leisure and community facilities. He has worked in niche and blue-chip consultancies, culminating in founding SLC in 2009.

He has overseen over 750 projects and programmes over his career including highlights such as:

- London 2012 Olympics Legacy

- Orford Jubilee Neighbourhood Hub

- c£750 million of capital investment projects supported

- c£100 million+ of revenue savings

He has written extensively over the last 20 years in the 2024 Sports Think Tank Manifesto, Municipal Journal, Sports Management, Leisure Management, Health Club Management and the Leisure Review.

Duncan has a BSc (Sports Science and Recreation Management) Loughborough - 1990 and a MBA from Henley - 2000.

He provides pro bono support regularly including local sports clubs and schools.

He enjoys adventure travel, cycling, mentoring young people and is a Level 2 South East Hockey Umpire.

I am currently the COO of Plymouth Active Leisure a local authority trading company with the task of making Plymouth the most physically active coastal city by 2024. I have worked in several locations and successfully connected our industry and the health services through a collaborative and systemic approach. First, by understanding the local need, analysing the workforce and then through a partnership approach creating impactful sustainable programs to benefit community health & wellbeing. I believe in getting on with 'stuff' and the key to the 'pivot' is a truly collaborative approach and investing in people.

Jon Hymus is the managing director of Innerva, the world’s leading provider of power assisted exercise equipment for the health, fitness, retirement and care markets offering an inclusive physical activity and rehabilitation solution for older adults and those with long term health conditions.

Jon joined Innerva in 2022 to steer the British designer and manufacturer through its next phase of growth, both in the UK and globally, to remain at the forefront of innovation in the active ageing sector.

Led by science, Innerva is working with the AWRC, Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Strathclyde as well as other partners to break down barriers between clinical and community settings and establish pathways from the health sector into the community leisure environment.

A seasoned professional with nearly three decades of experience in the UK health, fitness and leisure sector, Jon has held a number of senior roles during his career, including include those at Serco, GLL and Leisure Connection.

Liz is a passionate advocate for healthy ageing; living and breathing all things movement, activity, exercise and fitness in work and play. With a diverse community wellbeing career spanning over 20 years, Liz has led upon embedding active ageing into all she does, implementing specialist community long-term conditions exercise programmes, delivering training, creating the unique power assisted exercise facility, I Can Therapy Centre, in Hampshire and recently championing Live Longer Better.

Liz is a lover of learning believing that every day is a school day and is in the final stages of completing an MSc Psychology. A true collaborator, Liz relishes the opportunity to work with other passionate people committed to helping people move more and feel better.

Interested in sport from an early age, Duncan played international squash representing Scotland from age 14 culminating in a full International Cap aged 19. Duncan completed a BA ‘Sport in the Community’ Degree majoring in ‘Management & Scientific Analysis of High-Performance Athletes’.

In January 2000 Duncan progressed from Sports Co-ordinator at Heriot-Watt University to Director of Sport at the University of Reading before becoming Managing Director and subsequently Chief Executive of Gosling Sports Park in Welwyn Garden City. In March 2008 Duncan moved to Neath Port Talbot to take up the role of Managing Director with Celtic Community Leisure, the first Leisure Trust established in Wales in 2003. After a very successful 6 years in South Wales, Duncan was appointed to his current post as Chief Executive of Wave Active now operating 15 sites across the Lewes District and Eastbourne Borough.

Beyond operating leisure sites, Duncan has been instrumental with the development of a new Wave Active Health brand which has the Aim of empowering independent health and wellbeing, through the design and delivery of behavioural change and activity programmes and pathways that help those suffering from injury, illness and health conditions.

Duncan is also currently working with Lewes District Council to bring traditional General Practice and Primary Healthcare Services to a healthy living, leisure centre environment, offering connected healthcare provision to the heart of the local Newhaven community under one roof.

Andy is a senior lecturer in Biomedical Engineering at Strathclyde University in Glasgow (UK) with a career in rehabilitation spanning 30 years, including clinical, academic and research experience.

He currently leads research in technology supported rehabilitation and has been awarded several grants in this area from Innovate UK, Chief Scientists Office and Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland. His interests lie in developing technologies that provide equitable access to effective rehabilitation. He is the author of more than 90 scientific papers and two textbooks on human movement and biomechanics.

Andy is the director of the Sir Jules Thorn centre for the Co-Creation of Rehabilitation Technology supervising a multi-disciplinary research team of therapists, engineers and scientists.

Marc is a clinician by background with post-graduate qualifications in musculoskeletal and mental health. He has worked in clinical practice for 17 years across a mix of clinical, operational and leadership roles in both the NHS and independent healthcare. Marc is Head of Primary Care for Nuffield Health and responsible for the quality assurance, development and professional leadership across all our clinical services including Emotional Wellbeing, Physiology, Health Assessments, Physiotherapy and Private GP. Marc has a special interest in community rehabilitation, healthy work, digital health and connected health.

Former Team GB rower Baz Moffat retired from the sport to launch a successful international consulting and coaching business. A prominent voice in the women’s health movement, Baz specialises in the pelvic floor - a pivotal yet vastly under appreciated nucleus in the female body.

Expertise includes:

○ Pelvic floor
○ Prolapse
○ Urinary stress incontinence
○ Being active during the menopause
○ Constipation: bowel and bladder health
○ Being an elite female athlete (but not being trained as a woman)
○ Post-natal women returning to exercise Qualifications

○ BSc Sports Science (First Class) University of Birmingham
○ MSc – Health Related Behaviour Change, University of Bristol
○ Personal Trainer
○ GB Rowing Team, 2005-2008
○ Coached 100s of women around the world to help them in pelvic health
○ Holistic Core Restore Coach, 2016 – 2020

Becca Douglas boasts over two decades of experience in PR, communications, and marketing, with a strong focus on marketing technology. Having worked for and supported renowned brands such as Les Mills, Pure Gym, Sport England, England Athletics, and Freemotion, Becca’s expertise lies not only in driving innovative and effective PR and content strategies but also in leveraging cutting-edge technologies like AI and Web 3.0 to optimise marketing and commercial efforts. As a panel chair, Becca brings invaluable insights into the intersection of AI, Web 3.0 and marketing technology, offering valuable perspectives on how AI is reshaping the marketing landscape.

Anna excels at helping people get out of their own way, so that they can get unstuck in their lives and businesses. A former Secondary School teacher who set up her own successful enterprise before becoming Managing Director of Heart Centred Business, Anna and the HCB Team have helped thousands of women to create an income, a business and a mindset beyond anything they believed to be possible. With Heart Centred Businesses clients typically increasing their income by £50,000-100,000 within 12 months of implementing the HCB business principles, Anna teaches what works rather than what's popular.

Adam Daniel is a distinguished Health, Performance, and Leadership Coach with a rich background in sports and entrepreneurship. He's guided royalty, business leaders, and athletes to success. Adam's expertise extends globally, shaping educational programs for leading fitness brands and delivering programmes on resilience and leadership for prominent global organisations.

Adam's expertise extends from sports to strategy, backed by an MBA in International Sports Management and an MSc in Coaching and Behaviour Change embodying a commitment to continual growth.

Chris has been working in the leisure industry since 1995 and his experience to-date has seen him progress from delivering parties and holiday camps at his local sports centre to high profile national roles for both public and private leisure operators.

Children’s activities, sport (particularly football) and fitness have always been at the core of Chris’ work and since his move from General Management in 2004 he has been responsible for developing innovative products and cutting edge brands for various high profile national and international organisations; such as Disney, Virgin Active, Thomas Cook, Challenger Sports, David Lloyd and global children's TV show LazyTown.

Chris has a flair for creating financially profitable products that truly engage children of all ages, increasing participation whilst at the same time re-energising staff and coaches set the task of bringing his products to life and using them to drive successful businesses.

Chris founded Kidztivity in 2010 with a single mission; to transform the children's activities industry. By leveraging a powerful set of collaborative solutions and industry expertise, from training, product development and technology, to consultancy and business growth, Kidztivity are able to effectively and efficiently address change, achieving better outcomes and inspiring new possibilities for partners across the globe.

Steve is a Recruitment Director for Love Childcare Recruitment, overseeing recruitment within the Children’s Activity, Sports Coaching, Wraparound, and Early Years sectors. He has an extensive background in sports coaching and teaching, including spending 10 years at The FA as a coach, tutor, and regional manager before moving into the childcare and wraparound sector as a regional manager, working with primary schools and leisure partners, and leading a team of over 200 staff.

He is incredibly passionate about the industry and working with organisations to create career opportunities within the industry. He values working closely with providers to understand their challenges in order to support and advise on how to attract and recruit the best people for their teams.

Craig has over 20 years’ experience working with children and young people within education as well as the sports, health and fitness industries. Originally from Coventry, he has worked throughout the UK and Europe, implementing Children and Families strategies across product development, operating models, H&S and compliance.

Craig's core focus is on increasing physical activity levels among children and young people. Craig is known for his caring, nurturing approach to leadership, which enables him to bring out the very best in his team members. His passion lies in developing and supporting the best people to manage, lead and inspire children’s professionals within organisations.

An energetic, results-driven individual, Craig aims at all times to provide high-quality, engaging childcare programs and solutions.

Craig wanted to be a kids TV presenter in his younger days, and while he hasn't made a name for himself on the small screen, he has dedicated his life to bringing joy to children (including his own now). And like Peter Pan, Craig believes that he's never really grown up.

Craig wanted to be a kids TV presenter in his younger days, and while he hasn't made a name for himself on the small screen, he has dedicated his life to bringing joy to children (including his own now). And like Peter Pan, Craig believes that he's never really grown up.

From a young age, I've always had an entrepreneurial drive, from buying and selling video games to setting up a car washing business. I have also always had a passion for sport, and after gaining experience working with several coaching companies and after being let go from my final employer I knew it was time for me to start up on my own.

That's when uSports came to life. In just six years, I have grown uSports into a thriving business with a turnover of over one million pounds and a team of over 100 people.

In the last 12 months we have won:

· #53 in the "Elite Business 100 Top SME Businesses 2024"

· Young Entrepreneur in the "Great British Business Awards"

· Business of the Year in the "Thames Valley Business Awards"

We have big dreams for the business and understand that both quality on the ground and recruiting top talent will always have to be a top priority to continue our growth.

Peter Horobin is a Sports Medicine and Specialist Musculoskeletal Osteopath and Clinical Director of one of Britain’s leading multidisciplinary medical and performance centres - Acer House Practice.

He is the Sports Osteopath for several Team GB sprinters, Olympic athletes and professional footballers and has previously worked for British Athletics and supported numerous athletes at international tournaments such as the Commonwealth Games and Paralympics.

Mahli Oppong is a 16-year-old competing boxer at Fight for Peace Boxing Club. Having been perfecting his skills at Fight for Peace for close to 5 years, he started his journey with the club during year 7 of secondary school.

Mahli is currently in the process of training to become a coach, with dreams of passing on his knowledge and enthusiasm for the sport to others. His journey at Fight for Peace showcases his dedication to boxing and his drive for personal development

Hi I’m Ola. I'm a Mixed Martial artist and I've been training at fight for peace since 2023.

Hi my name is Zaynab, I’m a volunteer Youth Worker and a partnerships assistant at Fight For Peace.

A physiologist and leading expert in lifestyle management Oliver was Head of Physiology at Nuffield Hospitals where he led the largest team of applied physiologists, wellbeing advisors and nutritionists in the UK. In 2009 Oliver co-founded Viavi on London’s Harley St, to deliver the most advanced health assessment and health evaluation service available globally.

Latterly Oliver runs a corporate wellbeing consultancy service and has founded an industry specific education platform to drive practical coaching skills in the broader undervalued areas of lifestyle (beyond movement and nutrition) particularly stress, sleep, toxicity and mindset.

Annette has over 25 years’ experience in marketing and communications working across the sport, education and technology sectors.

Over the last 15 years, Annette has led the development of marketing and communications strategies and multi-disciplinary teams to develop brands, raise profile and awareness and generate income across commercial, public and charity organisations.

Annette is particularly passionate about brand and reputational management and stakeholder experience.

Dan is founder and CEO of Parkour Generations, the multi-award winning and multi-national organisation for parkour, and has studied practical movement, functional skills and physical fitness his entire life, with an elite background in fighting arts before finding parkour.

Dan created the globally recognised A.D.A.P.T™ parkour coaching qualifications which have been delivered in over 35 countries, as well as the Parkour Fitness Specialist™ certifications, the worldwide Parkour For Schools Programme and the unique Animal Paths™ movement curriculum for young people. Dan was also central to the creation and success of the world’s first National Governing Body for the discipline, Parkour UK.

His education programmes, which focus on the science and art of coaching, movement, holistic competence and health, have been accredited by NASM, ACE, AFAA, CIMSPA, YMCA Awards, 1st4Sports, FIT and more, as well as being the centrepiece for events such as IDEAFIT and Paleo f(X) in the USA, Fitpro Live and Leisure Industry Week in the UK, Asian Fitness Convention, IFEX, Barefoot Training Summit and more.

Across a twenty year career in teaching and coaching Dan has delivered courses, workshops and events to tens of thousands of people in more than 45 countries, helping many go on to become certified parkour or fitness professionals themselves through his programmes.

His latest education programme, Movement DNA, brings together the central unifying principles of all movement practices to help people tap into their innate physical abilities to lead a healthier, more energised and more fulfilling life.

A fitness industry renowned Pharmacologist and leading Educator, Dr Dean's popularity has grown for his no-nonsense approach when it comes to Performance Enhancing Drug (PED) safety and health management through direct science.

He holds a Double 1st Class Honours degree in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the National University of Ireland Maynooth where he finished top of the university, and holds a PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry and Fluorescence Spectroscopy.

He is an Author for the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM); as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Dietary Supplements and PEDs within their Bodybuilding and Physique Coach Qualification Curriculum.

His interests lie in Performance Enhancing Drug pharmacology, novel drug design, health and sports dietary supplementation, and applying Functional Medicine to athletes to improve their health. His love of Functional Medicine is what led to the creation of the Dr Dean supplement range within the Supplement Needs brand; in order to provide a one-stop shop for consumers to purchase products that are dosed efficaciously backed by clinical research, all fully transparent, and without any hidden proprietary blends.

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.

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.

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.

An Osteopath for nearly 20 years, Chris discovered first-hand how easy it is to work too many hours for too little money. He was over £100,000 in debt before he realised the problem was that he had never been trained how to run a successful business. 12 months later, after the right training and support, Chris had grown his income over 650%, and was running a six-figure practice. 9 years later, Chris, and his wife Karene, co-own 7 successful businesses, have trained more than 3000 business owners and are on a mission to create 1,000 heart centred millionaires.

Chris Windram is co-founder and CEO of Quoox, the specialist premium gym software and business service provider.

Across multiple companies and industries, Chris has delivered cloud-based software solutions for companies ranging from large blue-chip organisations to small independents. With a passion for establishing a balanced life through productivity and efficiency, he and the Quoox team have led a number of innovations within the fitness industry.

Working to make a tangible difference in the lives and businesses of small, independent gym owners, Chris is proud that he and his dedicated team are able to bring the Gym Mastery Theatre to Elevate ’24.

Jessica Pitts-Brennan began her career deeply rooted in the technology sector, where she developed an expansive understanding of systems, processes, and applications. Her role involved leveraging this knowledge to optimise business efficiencies and technological advancements, laying a solid foundation for her future endeavours.

Transitioning from a purely tech-focused role, Jessica merged her professional expertise with her personal passion for fitness and health. She now specialises in small-group personal training and serves as the Director of Customer Experience for Quoox. In this capacity, Jessica harnesses her comprehensive tech background to enhance the fitness industry. She plays a pivotal role in guiding gym owners on effectively using the Quoox software platform to improve lead generation, retention, and day-to-day operational management.

Jessica’s innovative approach has made her a trusted advisor among some of the most successful gym owners in the boutique small group sector. She is renowned for her ability to provide insightful guidance on utilising technology to maximise business potential, ultimately enhancing the overall client experience in the fitness industry. Her unique blend of tech-savvy and fitness acumen continues to contribute significantly to the evolution of fitness management systems.

Gill Cummings-Bell is the CEO of EMD UK. Gill has been a group exercise teacher for over 40 years and has provided education for hundreds of fitness professionals. Gill has considerable skills in the fitness sector, including class development, strategic management, quality assurance, and planning and development. Gill consults and presents both nationally and internationally, presenting workshops on education and health related topics around the world.

Jenny is the Managing Director of Active IQ, a UK government regulated awarding organisation, which provides over 100 vocational qualifications and apprenticeships, along with education and digital resources, to support workforce development within the fitness and wellness sector in the UK and internationally.

Jenny has over 30 years of experience within the world of physical activity and education, leading the development and growth of specialist health and fitness related awarding organisations, whilst developing an in-depth understanding of regulatory frameworks.

Having previously worked within education provider and operator environments, Jenny is passionate about supporting individuals to enter and progress within the sector, with an emphasis on lifelong learning, to enable physical activity professionals to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.

As an ex-professional dancer, Jenny moved into the world of fitness education by retraining as a lecturer and trainer for fitness and group exercise instructors. Alongside that work, she was a presenter for a number of fitness videos, and she owned her own business, Bodyfocus, running teams of instructors and classes within fitness clubs and local communities, as well as selling fitness clothing and small fitness equipment.

Jenny holds a BA (Hons) in Adult Education and has been responsible for strategic operations, business development, quality and business process improvement. On an international level, Jenny was involved in the development and implementation of accreditation and quality assurance activity for the European Health and Fitness Association (now Europe Active), the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) Ireland, as well as the International Confederation of Registers of Exercise Professionals (ICREPs).

Jenny is based in Berkshire, England and continues to enjoy physical activity in her spare time - pursuing her own fitness passions which include running, group exercise, yoga, and cycling.