”ukactive exists to improve the health of the nation by getting more people, more active, more often. ukactive provides services and facilitates partnerships for a broad range of organisations, all of which support our vision and have a role to play in achieving that goal.
We serve over 4,000 members and partners from across the public, private and third sectors, from multinational giants to local voluntary community groups. We do so by facilitating partnerships, campaigning and providing outstanding membership services.
ukactive
Improving the health of the nation
Together achieving more
Our Mission and Vision
Mike is a well established and respected management consultant with 13 years of CEO experience in the NHS, having stepped down as the Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation in September 2013. He then carried out consultancy work where he chaired the PwC Public Sector Health Board helping to improve the company's offer to the health and care sector. As part of Mike’s portfolio he has built a successful independent consulting business practice (Mike Farrar Consulting Ltd) working with clients such as Celesio, RCGP, ABPI, NHS Quest, NHS Leadership Academy, J and J, Health Foundation, Medtronic, intuitive, Pfizer, Novartis, CIPFA, Olympus, Ondine Medical, and Visionable as well as advising on equity investment and starting up a number of small companies aimed at promoting health innovations, and links with sport.
In addition to his role as Chair, Mike also Chairs the Nominations Committee, is member of the Remuneration Committee, is the Board Champion for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, and Lead Board Director for Welfare & Safety.
Katy Cox is a freelance management consultant, working with both public sector and commercial organisations across a wide range of strategic projects, specialising in developing business cases and strategies, advising organisations undertaking mergers and acquisitions, and undertaking governance reviews.
Katy chairs the Finance & General Purpose Committee, and is members of the Remuneration Committee
Mark Sesnan is the Managing Director of the leading leisure charitable social enterprise GLL, founded in 1993. Mark has extensive experience in leisure management, having worked for many years at a senior level in local government and the leisure trust sector.
He is Secretary of Community Leisure UK and Co-Chair of the London Social Enterprise Leaders Business Club. Mark has enjoyed 40 years in the leisure industry, working at every level, from poolside to Managing Director.
Huw has been CEO of ukactive since 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 the organisation’s strategy and business plan, as well as leading its 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.
In 2014 Professor Greg Whyte was awarded an OBE for his services to Sport, Sport Science & Charity, and was voted as one of the Top 10 Science Communicators in the UK by the British Science Council.
Greg is an Olympian in modern pentathlon, and is a European and World Championship medalist. He is an expert in the field of sports and exercise science. Graduating from Brunel University, he furthered his studies with an MSc in human performance in the USA and completed his PhD at St. Georges Hospital Medical School, London. Greg is currently a Professor of Applied Sport and Exercise Science at Liverpool John Moore’s University and Director of Performance at the Centre for Health and Human Performance at 76 Harley Street, London.
Greg's former roles include Director of Research for the British Olympic Association and Director of Science & Research for the English Institute of Sport.
Greg is the preeminent authority on Exercise Physiology and Sports and Exercise Performance in the UK. An internationally recognised expert in the field, Greg has extensive professional experience assessing, treating and improving the performance of patients, sporting enthusiasts and athletes ranging from cancer sufferers to celebrities attempting their first mountain summit to Gold medal seeking Olympians.
Greg is well-known for his charity work including his involvement in Comic Relief (Sport relief) and, as a result of his work, Greg has helped raise over £45million for charity.
Amy Williams is best known for becoming Britain’s first solo Winter Olympics champion in 30 years, after winning Team GB’s only gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in the skeleton. Since retiring from the sport in 2012, Amy has worked in television, launched her own personal training and coaching business, and is also a motivational speaker.
Victoria O’Byrne is a seasoned communications and corporate affairs director, specialising in reputation management for high-profile individuals, organisations and campaigns. She has worked in executive roles in both the commercial and public sectors, and recently held the position of Communications Secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Straight out of College, Dave founded Mosaic in 1987, with fellow graduate and close friend, Steve Taylor.
Together, they grew the business from a one site, three staff operation into a multi-site contract management business operating health clubs and day spas, primarily in hotels, employing over 450 staff and with an annual turnover in excess of £10million.
Having sold out to a PLC in 2001, the pair bought the business back three years later and developed the Imagine spa concept to support the health club offering.
In 2011, Mosaic acquired it’s first freehold stand alone health club and day spa when it bought The Shrewsbury Club out of administration. Since then, the business has gone on to add two more freehold clubs; Holmer Park in Hereford and Riverhills in Ipswich.
Dave has always been passionate about the industry and was on the Board of UK Active, when it was known as the Fitness Industry Association, for seven years before serving as Chair for two years from 1999- 2001. He was the driving force behind a number of industry initiatives including the introduction of the industry’s Code of Practice and Register of Exercise Professionals.
He re-joined UK Active’s Membership Council in 2015 and is currently Chair of that group.
Dave is also on the Board of the Marches LEP, based in the West Midlands, and is the Small Business Champion for the region. Dave authored a book called “More to Gain Than Just to Game” which shares seven stories about the life lessons sport teaches us and was shortlisted in the Telegraph Sports Book of the Year Awards 2020.
Together, they grew the business from a one site, three staff operation into a multi-site contract management business operating health clubs and day spas, primarily in hotels, employing over 450 staff and with an annual turnover in excess of £10million.
Having sold out to a PLC in 2001, the pair bought the business back three years later and developed the Imagine spa concept to support the health club offering.
In 2011, Mosaic acquired it’s first freehold stand alone health club and day spa when it bought The Shrewsbury Club out of administration. Since then, the business has gone on to add two more freehold clubs; Holmer Park in Hereford and Riverhills in Ipswich.
Dave has always been passionate about the industry and was on the Board of UK Active, when it was known as the Fitness Industry Association, for seven years before serving as Chair for two years from 1999- 2001. He was the driving force behind a number of industry initiatives including the introduction of the industry’s Code of Practice and Register of Exercise Professionals.
He re-joined UK Active’s Membership Council in 2015 and is currently Chair of that group.
Dave is also on the Board of the Marches LEP, based in the West Midlands, and is the Small Business Champion for the region. Dave authored a book called “More to Gain Than Just to Game” which shares seven stories about the life lessons sport teaches us and was shortlisted in the Telegraph Sports Book of the Year Awards 2020.
Dame Carol Black, DBE, FRCP, BSD is Principal of Newnham College, Cambridge. From 2006 to 2016, she advised the British Government on the relationship between work and health. She is a medical practitioner and an expert on the disease scleroderma. Carol retired from full-time hospital work to become the President of the Royal College of Physicians in 2002.
In 2006, the government led by Tony Blair made Carol its national director for health and work and asked her to promote its policies across Whitehall, especially within the Department of Health and the Department for Work and Pensions. In March 2008, she authored Working for a healthier tomorrow, a report which focused on the impact of sickness absence on the health of the working-age population and on the economy.
She was made a CBE in 2002 in recognition of her research work on scleroderma. Carol was upgraded to DBE in 2005 while she was President of the Royal College of Physicians. She was made an honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Bristol in 2003.
“Carol chairs ukactive’s Remuneration Committee, and is a member of the Nominations Committee
John Treharne is a former accountant and England squash player who’s experience in the fitness industry spans 29 years.
In 1991 John started his first gym business, Dragons Health Clubs, which listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1997, with 22 clubs. Dragons was sold in 2000. He then lent his expertise to premium gym chain Esporta, before he concentrated on the launch of The Gym Group in 2008.
Under John’s leadership, The Gym Group pioneered the low cost gym model with contractless, 24/7 operations and online sign-up. In November 2015, The Gym Group became the first UK health and fitness group to debut on the London Stock Exchange in over 15 years. In February 2016 the business was named as a finalist and Ruban d’Honneur recipient in the 2015/16 European Business awards. John stepped down as CEO of The Gym Group in September 2018, but remains on the board as Founder Director.
Today, The Gym Group is nationwide with over 159 sites and a roll-out programme of 15-20 new gyms each year. It has had over 100 million gym visits since launch in 2008, and has a membership of over 750,000.
Dave Wright is the CEO and Creator of MYZONE, the CEO and owner of Creative Fitness Marketing and an investor in various businesses in the UK, USA and Australia. He is the current Chair of UKActive’s Supplier Council and a former Board member of the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity in the United States.
Dave’s companies work directly with over 9,000 businesses across 80 different countries which has given him the unique ability to view the global industry from a supplier, buyer and health club member’s perspective. An Antipodean with a BA in Recreation Leadership and Marketing, Dave is respected as a straight talking and energetic entrepreneur who has spent the majority of his life encouraging people to be more and stay more physically active.
Dave is a member of the ukactive Membership Council, and Chair of the ukactive Supplier Council
Dave’s companies work directly with over 9,000 businesses across 80 different countries which has given him the unique ability to view the global industry from a supplier, buyer and health club member’s perspective. An Antipodean with a BA in Recreation Leadership and Marketing, Dave is respected as a straight talking and energetic entrepreneur who has spent the majority of his life encouraging people to be more and stay more physically active.
Dave is a member of the ukactive Membership Council, and Chair of the ukactive Supplier Council
In 1991 John started his first gym business, Dragons Health Clubs, which listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1997, with 22 clubs. Dragons was sold in 2000. He then lent his expertise to premium gym chain Esporta, before he concentrated on the launch of The Gym Group in 2008.
Under John’s leadership, The Gym Group pioneered the low cost gym model with contractless, 24/7 operations and online sign-up. In November 2015, The Gym Group became the first UK health and fitness group to debut on the London Stock Exchange in over 15 years. In February 2016 the business was named as a finalist and Ruban d’Honneur recipient in the 2015/16 European Business awards. John stepped down as CEO of The Gym Group in September 2018, but remains on the board as Founder Director.
Today, The Gym Group is nationwide with over 159 sites and a roll-out programme of 15-20 new gyms each year. It has had over 100 million gym visits since launch in 2008, and has a membership of over 750,000.
