An industry veteran, Richard Millard, has joined the ever-expanding Future Fit Training team as a Non-Executive Ambassador, a new consulting role created to better enable the training organisation to respond to sector needs.
Millard has worked in the industry for more than 40 years and joins from Places Leisure. He retired from his position as Partnership Director in June, having worked with Places Leisure – and before that DC Leisure – for 28 years. His role involved working with key sector partners, including Sport England and ukactive, to develop the Places Leisure health offer and ensure the company was at the forefront of thought leadership and partnership working.
Millard’s previous experience extends to working in local government for a leisure trust, giving him extensive knowledge of the industry’s numerous sub-sectors. He also chairs the CIMSPA Sport and Physical Activity Sector Professional Development Board.
He said: “I have known the Future Fit team for many years and feel proud and privileged to have been offered a role within the organisation. They’ve always been leaders in my view and I hope I can help them to continue to evolve as a forward-thinking training provider.
“I’ve had a fulfilling 43-year career in the fitness sector and over the years have developed a particular interest in skills and people/talent development. The needs of our customers are becoming increasingly complex and we must pull together to ensure our workforce is more multifaceted and has sufficient soft skills and empathy alongside the obvious technical skills. Future Fit is at a really exciting crossroads in its growth and I am excited to join the team.”
Rob Johnson, Founder and MD of Future Fit Training says:
“Rich was heavily involved in future-proofing the sector at Places Leisure and his experience in thought leadership, alongside his knowledge of operations and funding, will be invaluable to us. He has been interested in our work for some time and is keen to help us to better respond to the needs of the sector. We are delighted to welcome him to the team.”