Perfect Fit

A third generation leader of the Les Mills empire, Diana Archer Mills is no stranger to fitness and global success. She shares her wellness philosophy with Monique McKenzie

It’s fair to say the fitness industry is in Diana Archer Mills’ blood. The 32-year-old granddaughter of gym tycoon and four-time Olympian Les Mills Snr was brought into the gym when she was just two days old and has since spent most of her life surrounded by dumbbells and treadmills. As creative director at Les Mills, she works out for up to four hours a day as part of her job; jets all over the world to host Les Mills live events, teaching classes to thousands of people at a time; and, to top it all off, is a mother to four children all under the age of nine.

Les Mills turned 50 this year, and the milestone was celebrated at a global summit in Punta Umbria in the south of Spain. Since its inception, the company has gone from one tiny gym in central Auckland to 21 different programmes licensed in 20,000 clubs (and counting) around the world, with a team of 140,000 specifically trained instructors delivering group fitness classes to more than six million people a week. The gym started under the leadership of Les Mills Snr in 1968 and the mantle was taken up by his son, Phillip – Diana’s father. Today, it’s the next generation of Mills’ who will be paving the way for the company’s future, with Diana and her brother, Les Jnr, also a creative director, taking on the challenge of keeping Les Mills a global success story. Last year Les Mills raised a hugely impressive $1.49 million for UNICEF. If that’s anything to go by, there’ll no doubt be plenty more successes under Diana’s watch.

DANCING QUEEN