Ward (right), seen here at ActiveLab, has been appointed CEO
When I think of the huge momentum and strides taken by the physical activity sector in recent years, I see tremendous scope over the coming years for us to be a driving force in building a healthier and wealthier society.
From a personal perspective, the past few weeks have seen me reflect on my career at ukactive with particular focus. Having joined the then-FIA as a policy intern back in October 2006, I’ve witnessed both ukactive, and the physical activity sector it represents, change beyond recognition over the past decade and the progress has been staggering.
Driven by the growth of ukactive’s members, our industry has gone from being perceived as a niche lifestyle sector to a £7.7bn behemoth acknowledged by government as being integral to the future health of our nation and economy.
Time for change So it was with immense pride last month that I accepted the ukactive board’s invitation to become the CEO of this great organisation. I’ve greatly enjoyed my past two years as director, working with our chair, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, to build on the legacy of Dave Stalker and Fred Turok, without whom nothing we’re doing today would be possible.
The green shoots of progress from new ukactive initiatives – such as ActiveLab and Future Leaders – are already starting to sprout, and we remain rooted as ever in adding value to our members by delivering against their core commercial agenda.
A culture shift Where once we were living in the dark, our sector is now on the verge of being blinded by the light, thanks to the sheer amount of information available. This is the age when evidence-based initiatives such as the DataHub in partnership with 4Global (see page 72) and the ukactive national aggregated Exercise Referral Database, in partnership with ReferAll, will empower operators to make better, data-driven business decisions.
I also see a significant cultural shift ahead as the maturation of CIMSPA provides our sector with a workforce of skill and diversity to power it forward.
Partnerships ukactive will work to consolidate its position as the heartbeat of the physical activity agenda, upweighting our sector as the solution to society’s most pressing problems, such as an overstretched NHS, ageing population and unproductive workplaces.
This will bring greater opportunities for impactful partnerships with organisations such as Sport England and Public Health England, a wider pool of funding streams and an expanded market to serve.
And then there’s the work in play to stimulate innovation and breakthrough thinking across the sector with ActiveLab. If we can demonstrate the UK’s potential as a hotbed of innovation, there’s a massive opportunity for it to find its place on the world stage.
A new political dawn will break on 9 June this year. But whatever its colour, we as a sector must be ready to unite to create a society where physical activity becomes the population’s natural choice from cradle to grave.
Elevate is set to celebrate its 10th anniversary in style this June, with organisers
confirming the event’s largest-ever drinks reception as registrations continue to run more
than 10% ahead of last year. [more...]
CoverMe, the global leader in fitness workforce management, today launches CoverMe PT, an
on-demand personal training platform that connects the right personal trainer to the right
client in under 10 seconds. [more...]
Ward (right), seen here at ActiveLab, has been appointed CEO
When I think of the huge momentum and strides taken by the physical activity sector in recent years, I see tremendous scope over the coming years for us to be a driving force in building a healthier and wealthier society.
From a personal perspective, the past few weeks have seen me reflect on my career at ukactive with particular focus. Having joined the then-FIA as a policy intern back in October 2006, I’ve witnessed both ukactive, and the physical activity sector it represents, change beyond recognition over the past decade and the progress has been staggering.
Driven by the growth of ukactive’s members, our industry has gone from being perceived as a niche lifestyle sector to a £7.7bn behemoth acknowledged by government as being integral to the future health of our nation and economy.
Time for change So it was with immense pride last month that I accepted the ukactive board’s invitation to become the CEO of this great organisation. I’ve greatly enjoyed my past two years as director, working with our chair, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, to build on the legacy of Dave Stalker and Fred Turok, without whom nothing we’re doing today would be possible.
The green shoots of progress from new ukactive initiatives – such as ActiveLab and Future Leaders – are already starting to sprout, and we remain rooted as ever in adding value to our members by delivering against their core commercial agenda.
A culture shift Where once we were living in the dark, our sector is now on the verge of being blinded by the light, thanks to the sheer amount of information available. This is the age when evidence-based initiatives such as the DataHub in partnership with 4Global (see page 72) and the ukactive national aggregated Exercise Referral Database, in partnership with ReferAll, will empower operators to make better, data-driven business decisions.
I also see a significant cultural shift ahead as the maturation of CIMSPA provides our sector with a workforce of skill and diversity to power it forward.
Partnerships ukactive will work to consolidate its position as the heartbeat of the physical activity agenda, upweighting our sector as the solution to society’s most pressing problems, such as an overstretched NHS, ageing population and unproductive workplaces.
This will bring greater opportunities for impactful partnerships with organisations such as Sport England and Public Health England, a wider pool of funding streams and an expanded market to serve.
And then there’s the work in play to stimulate innovation and breakthrough thinking across the sector with ActiveLab. If we can demonstrate the UK’s potential as a hotbed of innovation, there’s a massive opportunity for it to find its place on the world stage.
A new political dawn will break on 9 June this year. But whatever its colour, we as a sector must be ready to unite to create a society where physical activity becomes the population’s natural choice from cradle to grave.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
Researchers in the US have identified an antibody which could greatly reduce the loss of lean
muscle mass in people who are taking weight-loss medications.
Crunch Fitness has announced the launch of Crunch Reform Pilates – its own reformer concept
designed to bring this fast growing, but rather expensive, modality into the mainstream.
The 20th State of the Industry Report reveals a resilient, expanding and competitive
sector, the
importance of differentiation and the ongoing challenge of tackling inequalities.
Nuffield Health has told HCM that it takes its responsibilities towards its colleagues seriously
and is committed to meeting all legal obligations after news of a tribunal has made national
headlines.
Technogym has announced the launch of the Run X World Treadmill Championship, the first
world championship for running on connected treadmills over five kilometres.
Elevate is set to celebrate its 10th anniversary in style this June, with organisers
confirming the event’s largest-ever drinks reception as registrations continue to run more
than 10% ahead of last year. [more...]
CoverMe, the global leader in fitness workforce management, today launches CoverMe PT, an
on-demand personal training platform that connects the right personal trainer to the right
client in under 10 seconds. [more...]
