Phillip Mills didn’t set out to revolutionize fitness—he just wanted to make exercise more entertaining.

The founder of Les Mills International, named after his father who owned a successful gym in New Zealand, Mills had followed his parents into international athletic competition, representing New Zealand in hurdles at the 1974 and 1978 Commonwealth Games and earning All-American status at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Les Mills competed in four Olympic Games, and Phillip’s mother, Colleen, competed at the 1978 Commonwealth Games.

After graduating from UCLA, Mills took a detour in the early 1980s into the Los Angeles music scene, which sparked the idea that would transform group fitness forever. After managing a New Zealand rock band trying to make it in Hollywood—where the surviving members of The Doors tried to recruit his brother-in-law to replace Jim Morrison—Mills returned home with a radical notion: Exercise could be a lot more fun.

He started what would become Les Mills International. Under Mills’ leadership, his unique combination of elite athletic background and entertainment sensibility became Les Mills’ secret weapon. The company pioneered the integration of theatrical training into fitness instruction, creating programs that were both physically effective and genuinely fun. His wife, Dr. Jackie Mills, is chief creative officer and has helped develop many of the brand’s most popular classes. In addition, Mills’ daughter, Diana Archer Mills, is creative director for the company.

Mills has won numerous honors, including induction into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame (2022) and Ernst & Young’s NZ Entrepreneur of the Year.