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21 Feb 2024
Les Mills refreshes its top team and gears up for new workout launches
By Kath Hudson
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Les Mills group MD, Phillip Mills, is driving innovation for health club operators
Photo: Les Mills
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Les Mills has been through a senior management refresh following the recent departure of CEO Clive Ormerod and Keith Burnet, who was CEO of global markets.
Founder, Phillip Mills, has stepped back into the overall leadership role as group managing director and is now working closely with James Graham, the new CEO of global markets.
The senior leadership team has been bolstered by the inclusion of local-market leaders, Martin Franklin, CEO UK and Western Europe; Lena Holmberg, CEO Nordic and Eastern Europe, and Sean Turner, CEO US.
Jens Schulze has also been promoted to country manager in Germany in recognition of his sustained high performance over the last few years.
The first mission for the senior leadership team is delivering the company’s ‘Accelerate Club Success’ strategy, which has been designed to support health club operators in elevating the in-club experience through new programming and innovation.
“We have a clear plan to double down on live fitness experiences to accelerate the next phase of industry growth,” Mills told HCM. “Clubs have had to cut costs and increase prices to get back to profitability. Members have noticed, so to drive significant member growth we need to elevate the in-club experience.”
To this end, the company has developed a new range of workouts which Mills says have tested “off the charts” in the Les Mills Living Lab – the company’s portfolio of health clubs in New Zealand, which it uses as a test-bed for new concepts.
Two new programmes, called Functional Strength and Les Mills Dance have just been launched, while Shapes – a sculpt class based on strength, Pilates and power yoga – and recent addition to the portfolio, Strength Development, are already rolling out and enjoying strong take up, says Mills.
Three or four more new programmes will be launching this year, including a global reveal of two new club-in-club programmes – Ceremony and Conquer.
Ormerod stepped down at the end of last year to take time out to spend with his young family, while Burnet recently moved on to launch his own business, The Alchemist and Adventurer, offering personal and team transformation programmes.
Mills paid tribute to both, saying: “We’re hugely indebted to both Clive and Keith for their immense contributions to the business. They’ll always be part of the Les Mills family.”
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