Les Mills Names Jason Paris CEO as Phillip Mills Moves to Director Role

The former One NZ and Spark executive, who was credited with overseeing the rebranding both entities, will take over in October at the helm of the group fitness giant

Les Mills International has named veteran transformation executive Jason Paris as its next CEO, with Phillip Mills stepping back from day-to-day leadership after a planned three-year stint running the global fitness company.

Paris will take the helm Oct. 6, bringing experience across telecommunications, digital services and media. He has previously held leadership roles tied to the rebranding of Vodafone New Zealand into One NZ, Telecom into Spark and the development of TVNZ OnDemand.

The appointment marks the latest chapter in a planned succession process at Les Mills International. Phillip Mills returned to operational leadership three years ago following the departure of the company’s previous CEO, with a mandate to reset strategy and strengthen the business following the disruption of the pandemic.

“With the company on a strong footing and well-positioned for further expansion, now is the right time for me to hand over leadership to an energetic new CEO who can take us into our next exciting chapter,” Mills said.

Mills will remain involved in a founder/director role, and support Paris through the transition, while operational authority shifts to the incoming CEO.

Paris said his focus will be on customer needs and supporting Les Mills’ global network of instructors, fitness operators and participants.

“Every great business I’ve worked in has one thing in common: obsession over the needs of the customer,” Paris said. “Les Mills is a great example of this, with an incredible global network of Instructors, club partners and participants.”

The leadership change comes as Les Mills continues to expand beyond its traditional group fitness roots. The company now offers more than 30 programs, including Bodypump, Bodycombat, Les Mills Grit, RPM and Ceremony Hyrox, while also operating the Les Mills+ streaming platform and extended-reality fitness experiences.

Les Mills’ workouts are currently delivered by more than 100,000 certified instructors across more than 22,000 clubs in over 100 countries.

Mills said Paris’ commercial experience and background leading organizational change made him well-suited to guide the company’s next stage.

“Jason is an exceptional leader,” Mills said. “He brings deep commercial expertise, a modern leadership style, and a clear passion for building high-performing teams and strong cultures.”

This move affects Les Mills International at the global, company-wide level; Sean Turner currently serves as the CEO of Les Mills US, the company’s United States-focused division.