Jaquie Scammell is Australia’s leading customer service expert, helping create a service mindset to those seeking growth in their organisations and themselves. In 2013 she launched her own business following a diverse career with over 20 years of leadership experience in public, private and not for profit sectors. Jaquie has worked with the McDonalds franchise system as well as major sports and entertainment venues such as Wembley National Stadium (UK), Emirates Stadium (UK) and the Australian Open Grand Slam. She authored the book, Creating a Customer Service Mindset and is a regular blogger, offering practical tools, resources and a set of Mindsets to help leaders transform their own behaviours and service habits to help them teach others.  

Dr Paul Bedford has over 20 years experience working in the fitness industry, including roles as a gym instructor, personal trainer, fitness manager and club manager. He has a master’s degree in exercise and health behaviours, and a PhD from the London Sports Institute. The aim of his PhD research was to identify interventions in a gym environment to increase adherence. The study increased average participation from 6 months to 13 months. He then went onto develop a training programme to assist retention that has now been delivered to 25 operators, involving nearly 93 facilities.

Verne Harnish is founder of the world-renowned Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), with over 14,000 members worldwide, and chaired for fifteen years EO’s premiere CEO program, the “Birthing of Giants” held at MIT, a program in which he still teaches today. Founder and CEO of Scaling Up, a global executive education and coaching company with over 180 partners on six continents, Verne has spent the past three decades helping companies scaleup.

Jose Teixeira is the Head of Customer Experience at SC Fitness in Portugal. Jose was a professional athlete in beach volleyball and studied a degree in Sports and Physical Education, before joining Solinca in 2004. He worked as a sales consultant, club manager, area manager, operations director and now head of customer experience for the group, overseeing the Fitness Project, innovation and data. Jose is an amazing expert in the area of customer experience and incredibly passionate about sharing his knowledge to help others,  if you are heading to IHRSA 2020, then go along to his session called - Creating Loyal Customers.

Rich Hutson is the CEO CHi Fitness, he is a career “lifer” in the fitness industry starting as a personal trainer in Canada. He moved to Australia and spent 10 years working with the biggest brands including Healthlands and Fitness First. In 2001 he was given the opportunity to be part of the senior exececutive team that took Fitness First across 6 Asian countries and to over 100 clubs. He also spent 6 years as the Sales Director for Fitness First Europe overseeing 6 countries and 210 clubs. In 2016 he left FF to open Fire Fitness, the first boutique fitness clubs in Malaysia. 2017 saw him take his biggest challenge, the CEO role at CHi Fitness, where he was instrumental in turning the business around and taking it to sale in less than 15 months. Rich starts a new role in 2020 as the business development Manager for Evolution Wellness and will leading their brand new Low cost high value brand called GoFit.

Mark Miller is the Chief Operating Officer of Merritt Clubs with over 25 years of experience at the Senior Management level; Mark joined the Merritt Team in 2000 as Regional Fitness Director responsible for all Fitness, Programming and Operations. Since that time he has moved into the strategic role of COO. In this capacity Mark is responsible for all the day to day management and operations of all 9 clubs, the Merritt consulting arm – MCM as well as its new Wellness division. He has a broad range of expertise including, club management, sales, revenue generation, personal training, programming, budgeting, and Cultural and service design in multi company environments.

Paul Roetzer is founder and CEO of PR 20/20 and Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute; author of The Marketing Performance Blueprint (Wiley, 2014) and The Marketing Agency Blueprint (Wiley, 2012); and the creator of the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Conference (MAICON). As a speaker, he's focused on making artificial intelligence approachable and actionable, and helping change agents drive transformation through marketing talent, technology and strategy.  

Wellness Entrepreneur Tony De Leede has been in the industry for over 35 years, he brought the Fitness First chain to Australia, launched FitnFast clubs and YogaBar brands, created Move and Mind 123 digital content brands and most recently launched his latest business Wellness Solutions – these are just a few highlights from a long list of his accomplishments

Sophie Lawler is at the helm of Total Fitness as CEO, she is one of the youngest CEO’s in the industry. With 20 years’ fitness experience, Sophie has previously transformed Fitness First, overseeing strategic growth, and the development of new products and propositions in the UK and overseas. Sophie applies her passion, unique leadership culture and vast experience to Total Fitness, where the power of people has grown the membership base by 10% this year to date.

This weeks guest is our very own host - Chantal Brodrick!  Chantal worked for 15 years in senior sales and marketing roles in the media industry before transitioning careers. In 2008 she became a qualified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor. Soon after she combined her corporate background with her love of fitness and became a Fitness Business Coach. In 2015 Chantal became the host of the The Fitness Business Podcast.  Chantal has interviewed over 300 fitness industry leaders, coaches, consultants and authors including Jim Worthington, Rick Caro, Bill McBride, Brent Darden, Derek Gallup, Allison Flatley, Mo Hagan, Carrie Kepple, Emma Barry, Ryan Holiday, Jeb Blount, Michelle Segar and hundreds more. In 2019 Chantal was recognised as 1 of 20 'Women Who Inspire' by IHRSA's Club Business International Magazine and this year she is a featured speaker and MC at industry events across the world including, IHRSA, FILEX, IDEA, Athletic Business Show and FITEX.