Paul Kuebler is an entrepreneur, fitness ambassador, and currently the VP of International Development of southern England for Orangetheory Fitness. This is a continuation of Paul’s Orangetheory leadership after he was the Area Developer of the group that developed 19 studios in Washington State in the States. Paul also serves on several boards for various health and leisure organizations. Previously, Paul was responsible for locating and opening businesses in several European countries and Russia. Paul lived for 9 years in Russia (fluent Russian); 5 years in Hungary and 3 years in Spain (proficient Spanish). Paul is currently spending about half of his time in the UK as he is focused solely on this market.

Orangetheory Fitness  is a science-backed, technology-tracked, coach-inspired group workout designed to produce results from the inside out. Orangetheory was established in 2010 has taken the world by storm to become one of the most well-known fitness franchises with more than 1,400 studios in 25 countries across the globe, including 8 in the UK.

Skills

I have been fortunate to have many years of CEO and COO level duties as an owner, master franchisee, franchisee, and now franchise employee focused on development. I have always had a focus on delivering quality services for members.  I have expertise in financial operations, profitability analysis, UK and European operations, budgeting, and planning, business optimization, broad spectrum of operating experience and early-stage structuring, strategic growth issues, board leadership, health & wellness fitness services, plus 8 years Big 4 US public accounting experience, 3 of them in emerging markets.

Relevant Service

My direct experience with UK Active has been limited until now, although our Operations Director, Barry Ashby, has been quite active on behalf of our company.  I am an active and long-standing board member for both the Master Franchise for Gold’s Gym in Russia, as well as Wexer in the UK.  I have held both positions for over 10 years.  I like to provide a level of support to the companies based on both my industry and financial experience.  I pride myself in being supportive, innovative, and inquisitive.  Because of living so many years in Europe, it allowed me to be immersed in various business cultures and learn to navigate the unique situations that a business faces in each country.  Now, having on-the-ground experience in leading, growing and operating multi-unit businesses in England, the States, Poland, Russian, Czech Republic, Spain, and Hungary, I have a wealth of experience and knowledge that hopefully brings some value to the UK Active leadership group.  Thank you for your consideration in this council seat.

Since 2010 I have held the post of Chairman, co-founder and UK franchisor for Anytime Fitness. With our Board I am responsible for setting the strategy for the business and ensuring our CEO has the necessary resources to create successful clubs and franchisees. I am an Anytime Fitness club owner/operator. Anytime Fitness has helped me better understand the changing needs of the member and how as a sector we need to constantly evolve our thinking to really serve their physical activity needs and those of our communities.

I am currently a lead coach with Red Tiger Coaching. I provide personal and business coaching to help people develop a growth mindset and achieve their life and career goals.

Aside from a spell as a Senior Property Executive with Sainsburys, from 1990 to 2010, I was joint owner of an independent consultancy, providing data science products and analytical services to UK/global retail and leisure businesses.

Prior to 1990 I worked for Rank Leisure, following management roles with two niche technology companies, specialising in products analysing geographic data.

I have an MSc in Information Technology, a BSc in Topographic Science and spent my early employment years working as an offshore oil construction surveyor.

Skills

I have extensive business skills, having owned, managed, and sold a number of companies. I have worked in start ups and corporates and have a deep appreciation of the needs of health & fitness businesses. I am a strategist and also a practical “problem solver”. I have the experience and expertise to engage with stakeholders and ensure mutual objectives are delivered for the benefit of all.

I believe the route to the success of any organisation is through the absolute understanding of the customer, their needs, and their journey. I am passionate about ensuring as a sector we are aligning ourselves with the health and activity needs of our communities, by working with UKActive and partner organisations to make this happen.

I am a personal coach and help people develop, grow and achieve their goals. I am a Mental Health First Aider, and a qualified sports coach. I continually develop myself so that I can develop others to improve their physical and mental health and create a positive impact in their own lives.

I believe I have the skills and experience to have an impact and support UKActive to deliver on its vision and objectives for our sector.

Relevant Service

I have been a member of the UKActive Private Operators CEO Forum since inception and served on the Member Council from 2018 to 2020. In these forums I have provided guidance and support to UKActive and its member organisations. I have promoted a strong dialogue and healthy debate on the organisation’s strategic initiatives and support UKActive to successfully achieve its goals and objectives.

Using my previous experience in data science, I have promoted the creation of a Private Operators Data Benchmarking service, so that as a sector we can better understand the national trends and impact we have on people and their communities. I have been a member of the working group bringing together all the major private operators to share their data for the benefit of the sector. The first report will be published in Q4/2021.

I have direct exposure to grass roots issues and challenges for the physical activity sector through Speen Playing Fields, a charity managing two community owned outdoor sport and play spaces. I have been a board member and trustee for 18 years, supporting an annual fundraising budget of £30,000, the amount necessary to keep these essential physical activity spaces open for all.

Paul Tomlinson has a lifelong interest in fitness.

Since 2017 he has been planning to create Fierce Gym and has spent a number of years touring independent gyms across the UK – to see how other leaders in the industry deliver a great space to train.

in 2019 he managed to find the location for fierce gym and began the journey to create a unique space in Milton Keynes. He has a shared vision to create a community which supports members regardless of their fitness experience or preferred fitness discipline.

Jean-Claude is the Founder and Managing Director of the IFBA (International Fitness Business Alliance), an education and consultancy provider whose mission is to make the fitness industry stronger for all – fitness providers, their staff, and the consumer.

The IFBA’s support has helped hundreds of independent fitness businesses across the globe improve the quality and reach of their provision, while also becoming more profitable, sustainable, and socially responsible.

Jean-Claude is also the Founder and Managing Director of the W10 Group of independent gyms, three separate sites across the south-east of the UK.

Based on a coaching-led model that provides a community for the local population based on health and wellbeing, the W10 brand is the standard-bearer for excellence in the independent sector. Each of the three W10 facilities put people at the heart of everything they do, priding themselves on providing an industry-leading staff development pathway and taking a client-centric, customer-service-led approach.

Skills

– First hand knowledge of the fitness industry from top to bottom: as well as owning and damaging my own gyms, I’ve been around the world as a personal trainer to learn from the best, and have worked in both commercial and independent facilities as a coach.

– Direct experience of the challenges involved in starting and growing a fitness business: I’ve started my own facility from scratch, learned from my mistakes, and grown the business to three sites – now employing 12 members of staff. I understand the day-to-day operational challenges as well as the big-picture, strategic perspective.

– A cross-industry understanding of commercial forces and consumer behaviour: I have corporate experience in both sales and operations, in various management positions.

– Market insight: I’ve personally coached hundreds of fitness business leaders and have unique insight into the challenges they face. In both businesses, I also work with an extensive network of suppliers, industry influencers, and official bodies, giving me far-reaching insight and opportunities for engagement.

– Stakeholder mobilisation: One of my biggest strengths is rallying the right people around a vision and inspiring them to bring their full potential to the table in pursuit of a common goal. I would bring this energy to champion the ukactive vision to get more people, more active, more often.

Relevant service

I’ve taken part in a number of initiatives to  support the health and wellbeing of my own – and the wider – community.

When my local football club (Farnham United Football Club) was in danger of closing down, I stepped up as Chairman and dedicate several days every month to supporting the young people in the area to engage with sport, teamwork, and physical health.

As Founder of W10, I have created four strands to our client offering: Eat, Move, Think, and Belong. These are designed to support our client population to attend to their physical and mental.

W10 is a partner to Magic Breakfast, a charity dedicated to feeding hungry children across the UK. Over the last few years, we have funded thousands of breakfasts to allow young people to be more healthy, active, and engaged with their education.

W10 also runs a local community initiative to support the local rugby club with placements for underprivileged young people in the area.

Through the IFBA, I support hundreds of fitness professionals to become better at what they do, to make their businesses more successful, and to engage their local communities in fitness. Much of this support is available for free in the form of ebooks, interactive guides, and other templates and resources.