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FITNESS, HEALTH, WELLNESS

features

Life Lessons:
Steve Ward

Former CEO of UK Active, Steve Ward left the trade association to join Go Fit as chief transformation officer and bring the brand to the UK. He talks to Kath Hudson about how having to pull the plug on these plans yielded surprising benefits

Published in Health Club Management 2026 issue 3
Steve Ward
Steve Ward, chief transformation officer, Go Fit / Go-Fit

I joined Go Fit in 2019 with two objectives. One was supporting the transformation of the company from an energetic start-up environment to a multinational professional organisation with more strategic rigour.

The second part was to drive our entry into the UK market, where we see a tremendous opportunity for our model – a public sector desperate for a new way of doing things presenting a clear gap for us to be really successful.

The pandemic arrived shortly after my onboarding, yet the opportunity remained clear for us in the UK and we were still actively pursuing it.

We got really close – we were just a lettuce leaf away from investing in the UK when Liz Truss’s mini-budget caused our main shareholder to say “we can't do this”.

We adopted a ‘simplify to win’ strategy, defining what it means to win and focusing on that

The UK had had a challenging time from an international investor’s perspective – the uncertainty around Brexit, the pandemic and the cost of utilities – however, we were still prepared to go ahead because Go Fit is a long-term business, thinking in 40-year time frames. However, the additional layer of government collapse was the straw that broke the camel's back. The margin for error had become too small with what was going on around interest rates and inflation.

It was a painful decision, because we’d ploughed a lot of time and money into the project which was the fruit of an enormous amount of collaboration with a huge number of people outside the company.

We weren't alone in having to make some painful decisions at that time relating to the UK. It's a very sad state of affairs when the sixth largest economy in the world with the largest fitness market in Europe, a vibrant consumer market,

a highly-educated population and a strong commitment to wellbeing across all stakeholders represented itself internationally as an uninvestable basket case. Unfortunately, that was the perception of the UK among international investors at that time.

Under Liz Truss, the UK represented itself as an uninvestible basket case

Focus on what you can control

When the context changes so dramatically in a way you can’t control, you have to make the best of the situation and focus on what you can control. I love Go Fit and believe in its uniqueness and the team, so I decided to pour my full energy into making sure that the first part of my mission – to transition it into a multinational, data-driven company – was successful.

We were having a transition in CEO from the original founder – an incredibly visionary guy who came up with the concept – to a new CEO who was part of the drive towards internationalisation and new levels of professionalisation. It was immediately clear that my opportunity was to facilitate that transition and work with him. It also reinforced the cultural shift that we were making by adopting a ‘simplify to win’ strategy – defining what it means to win and focusing on that.

You go through different phases in your career and it has a natural rhythm and evolution. In time you start to view it as impossible to sprint your entire career. This truly is a marathon and anyone who’s done one knows there are some very challenging sections.

Not going to the UK allowed us to have an outstanding execution of our plan for Italy

It's about finding a sustainable model of leadership for yourself and for the organisation you're part of, regulating your pace and deciding when to push and when to not. Sometimes you have to force yourself to take a step back, prioritise and say no.

This is a personal trait I've had to develop over many years. My colleagues at UK Active would probably say I was like a pitbull when I had something I wanted to get done, and maybe only later realised that it wasn't the best thing to have such tunnel vision. Now I think I'm quite calm in deciding when to surf the wave and which ones to let pass.

Instead of going to the UK, we put our focus on Italy. Not going to the UK allowed us to have an outstanding execution of our plan there in this cycle between 2023 and 2028. Now we're much better placed for success and have learned lessons we can take to the UK in the future.

The opportunity for Go Fit in the UK will only get bigger. We don’t have to rush

We see a lot of opportunity in the years ahead. Our current strategic plan goes until 2028 and we're also starting to put specific things down for 2029 onwards. We're a much stronger company because of this cultural change.

On reflection, it was absolutely the right decision to not proceed to the UK at that time. If we had we wouldn’t be doing what we’re now doing in Italy. It would have been hard to have such success in two different directions.

The opportunity for a high quality concept such as Go Fit in the UK is a long-term opportunity that will only get more attractive. We don’t have to rush.

The Go Fit model

Go Fit has a unique model of bidding for long-term contracts to design, build, operate and manage facilities on public land, which the company working mainly with city councils.

This public-private partnership approach has been recognised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe as delivering best practice in collaboration.

The company has a mission of getting all generations active, sustainability and employing local people. While memberships for the clubs, with their extensive offerings, are €37 a month, children are given free entry and there are concessions for the economically disadvantaged.

The company’s social value in Spain has been calculated at €300m.

Go Fit launched its first fitness club in Italy in October 2025. Located at Turin’s former flower market, Mercato dei Fiori, the 14,000 square metre facility plays host to more than 150 weekly activities. 

The company is now working on two more health and fitness projects in Milan and Bologna

Last year, Go Fit also launched a €20m sports centre in Sant Cruz, Tenerife and will be investing a further €150m in eight more clubs between 2026 and 2028, bringing its total estate to 30 properties.  

Read more from this issue of HCM magazine

View contents of HCM 2026 issue 3
Sign up for FREE ezines & magazines
Cycle class in progress
Recent investments brought the Go Fit estate to 30 sites / Go-Fit
Man lifting weights on gym floor
Go Fit will invest €150m in eight sites from 2026 to 2028 / Go-Fit
Male instructor leading indoor cycle class
Ward sees UK fitness as a vibrant consumer market / Go-Fit
Woman strength training on gym floor
Go Fit has ‘learned lessons in Italy that it can now take to the UK’ / Go-Fit
The former UK Active CEO tells of the surprising lessons that came from having to pull the plug on a UK launch
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features

Life Lessons:
Steve Ward

Former CEO of UK Active, Steve Ward left the trade association to join Go Fit as chief transformation officer and bring the brand to the UK. He talks to Kath Hudson about how having to pull the plug on these plans yielded surprising benefits

Published in Health Club Management 2026 issue 3
Steve Ward
Steve Ward, chief transformation officer, Go Fit / Go-Fit

I joined Go Fit in 2019 with two objectives. One was supporting the transformation of the company from an energetic start-up environment to a multinational professional organisation with more strategic rigour.

The second part was to drive our entry into the UK market, where we see a tremendous opportunity for our model – a public sector desperate for a new way of doing things presenting a clear gap for us to be really successful.

The pandemic arrived shortly after my onboarding, yet the opportunity remained clear for us in the UK and we were still actively pursuing it.

We got really close – we were just a lettuce leaf away from investing in the UK when Liz Truss’s mini-budget caused our main shareholder to say “we can't do this”.

We adopted a ‘simplify to win’ strategy, defining what it means to win and focusing on that

The UK had had a challenging time from an international investor’s perspective – the uncertainty around Brexit, the pandemic and the cost of utilities – however, we were still prepared to go ahead because Go Fit is a long-term business, thinking in 40-year time frames. However, the additional layer of government collapse was the straw that broke the camel's back. The margin for error had become too small with what was going on around interest rates and inflation.

It was a painful decision, because we’d ploughed a lot of time and money into the project which was the fruit of an enormous amount of collaboration with a huge number of people outside the company.

We weren't alone in having to make some painful decisions at that time relating to the UK. It's a very sad state of affairs when the sixth largest economy in the world with the largest fitness market in Europe, a vibrant consumer market,

a highly-educated population and a strong commitment to wellbeing across all stakeholders represented itself internationally as an uninvestable basket case. Unfortunately, that was the perception of the UK among international investors at that time.

Under Liz Truss, the UK represented itself as an uninvestible basket case

Focus on what you can control

When the context changes so dramatically in a way you can’t control, you have to make the best of the situation and focus on what you can control. I love Go Fit and believe in its uniqueness and the team, so I decided to pour my full energy into making sure that the first part of my mission – to transition it into a multinational, data-driven company – was successful.

We were having a transition in CEO from the original founder – an incredibly visionary guy who came up with the concept – to a new CEO who was part of the drive towards internationalisation and new levels of professionalisation. It was immediately clear that my opportunity was to facilitate that transition and work with him. It also reinforced the cultural shift that we were making by adopting a ‘simplify to win’ strategy – defining what it means to win and focusing on that.

You go through different phases in your career and it has a natural rhythm and evolution. In time you start to view it as impossible to sprint your entire career. This truly is a marathon and anyone who’s done one knows there are some very challenging sections.

Not going to the UK allowed us to have an outstanding execution of our plan for Italy

It's about finding a sustainable model of leadership for yourself and for the organisation you're part of, regulating your pace and deciding when to push and when to not. Sometimes you have to force yourself to take a step back, prioritise and say no.

This is a personal trait I've had to develop over many years. My colleagues at UK Active would probably say I was like a pitbull when I had something I wanted to get done, and maybe only later realised that it wasn't the best thing to have such tunnel vision. Now I think I'm quite calm in deciding when to surf the wave and which ones to let pass.

Instead of going to the UK, we put our focus on Italy. Not going to the UK allowed us to have an outstanding execution of our plan there in this cycle between 2023 and 2028. Now we're much better placed for success and have learned lessons we can take to the UK in the future.

The opportunity for Go Fit in the UK will only get bigger. We don’t have to rush

We see a lot of opportunity in the years ahead. Our current strategic plan goes until 2028 and we're also starting to put specific things down for 2029 onwards. We're a much stronger company because of this cultural change.

On reflection, it was absolutely the right decision to not proceed to the UK at that time. If we had we wouldn’t be doing what we’re now doing in Italy. It would have been hard to have such success in two different directions.

The opportunity for a high quality concept such as Go Fit in the UK is a long-term opportunity that will only get more attractive. We don’t have to rush.

The Go Fit model

Go Fit has a unique model of bidding for long-term contracts to design, build, operate and manage facilities on public land, which the company working mainly with city councils.

This public-private partnership approach has been recognised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe as delivering best practice in collaboration.

The company has a mission of getting all generations active, sustainability and employing local people. While memberships for the clubs, with their extensive offerings, are €37 a month, children are given free entry and there are concessions for the economically disadvantaged.

The company’s social value in Spain has been calculated at €300m.

Go Fit launched its first fitness club in Italy in October 2025. Located at Turin’s former flower market, Mercato dei Fiori, the 14,000 square metre facility plays host to more than 150 weekly activities. 

The company is now working on two more health and fitness projects in Milan and Bologna

Last year, Go Fit also launched a €20m sports centre in Sant Cruz, Tenerife and will be investing a further €150m in eight more clubs between 2026 and 2028, bringing its total estate to 30 properties.  

Read more from this issue of HCM magazine

View contents of HCM 2026 issue 3
Sign up for FREE ezines & magazines
Cycle class in progress
Recent investments brought the Go Fit estate to 30 sites / Go-Fit
Man lifting weights on gym floor
Go Fit will invest €150m in eight sites from 2026 to 2028 / Go-Fit
Male instructor leading indoor cycle class
Ward sees UK fitness as a vibrant consumer market / Go-Fit
Woman strength training on gym floor
Go Fit has ‘learned lessons in Italy that it can now take to the UK’ / Go-Fit
The former UK Active CEO tells of the surprising lessons that came from having to pull the plug on a UK launch
Latest News

Samsung has unveiled a suite of AI-powered health features for its Galaxy Watch ...

Latest News
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Elevate has had its busiest show to date, with almost 200 ...
Latest News
A new report from Your Personal Training (YPT) suggests UK gym operators could be missing ...
Latest News
Eighty-four per cent of consumers now say wellness is a top priority in their lives, ...
Latest News
Elevate Arena is underway at London's Excel and the hot topic of AI was the ...
Latest News
PureGym Group has announced that group chief financial officer, Alex Wood, is taking over the ...
Latest News
Independent operator, Fitness Worx Gyms, is introducing private blood testing as a service to members. ...
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International industry lobbying associations are calling for physical activity and strength training to be deeply ...
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promotion
Strength training has moved from the margins to the mainstream.
Opinion: Building smarter strength spaces for today’s operators
Featured supplier news
Featured supplier news: Supporting long-term health: why whole body vibration belongs in clinical settings
As healthcare continues to shift towards prevention, there’s a growing focus on helping people stay active, independent and feeling good for longer.
Featured supplier news
Featured supplier news: Reaching the people most gyms miss: Bedford Gym & Swim Campaign delivers 410 new members
One of the biggest mistakes the fitness industry still makes is advertising almost exclusively to people who already look and live like gym members.
Company profiles
Company profile: Absolute Performance
Absolute Performance is one of the UK’s leading gym design and installation companies. We install ...
Company profiles
Company profile: TechnoAlpin Indoor
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Supplier Showcases
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Catalogue Gallery
Click on a catalogue to view it online
Featured press releases
Dyaco UK Ltd press release: Exploring the core of i-Strength: How four digital resistance modes unlock personalised training for everyone
Spirit Fitness built the i-Strength adaptive strength training system around four distinct workout modes.
Featured press releases
Create PT press release: Create sets a new standard with its new personal training diploma
Create's new Personal Training Diploma is built on the depth, real-client practice and coaching judgement that turn a qualification into genuine readiness - taught as one continuous course so that every skill is reinforced and applied, not cleared once and forgotten.
Directory
Industrial washing machines
Miele Company Limited: Industrial washing machines
Hot tubs
MSpa International Ltd: Hot tubs
Lockers
Crown Sports Lockers: Lockers
Fitness tracking platform
SpiviTech: Fitness tracking platform
Water experiences and hydrotherapy solutions
Aquaform s.r.l.: Water experiences and hydrotherapy solutions
Spa and beauty equipment
Living Earth Crafts: Spa and beauty equipment
Property & Tenders
Stratford, East London.
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
Property & Tenders
Y Felinheli, LL56 4QN
Newmark
Property & Tenders
Diary dates
22-23 Jun 2026
WX Wakefield , Wakefield, United Kingdom
Diary dates
21-24 Sep 2026
The Langham Huntington Pasadena , Pasadena, United States
Diary dates
06-08 Oct 2026
Messe Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
Diary dates
22-22 Oct 2026
QEII Conference Centre, London,
Diary dates
26-29 Oct 2027
Koelnmesse Exhibition Centre, Cologne, Germany
Diary dates
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