Ben Francis

Ben Francis MBE is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of leading fitness brand, Gymshark. In 2020 Gymshark secured a deal with General Atlantic that valued the company at over £1bn, making it one of the few British businesses to achieve 'unicorn' status since 2001.

Ben started Gymshark when he was just 19 years old, while he was still a student at Aston University. He famously juggled his studies with working as a pizza delivery boy in order to fund his Gymshark venture.

Since then, Gymshark has grown from a small operation in Ben's garage to become one of the world's most recognised fitness brands. The company attributes its success to its strong online presence, continuous innovation, and commitment to producing high-quality performance wear.

Ben was CEO of Gymshark until 2015, utilising his expertise in business, social media marketing, sales, fashion, and market research. He also understood the value of collaborating with social media influencers in order to increase visibility. After stepping aside as CEO, he continued to use these skills in executive roles at Gymshark until August 2021 when he once again took on the position of CEO.

He studied Business and Management at Aston University but decided to stall his studies in order to dedicate more time to Gymshark. Prior to founding Gymshark, Ben also developed iOS apps, two of which made it into Apple's fitness charts.

Ben's achievements as a young entrepreneur have been widely recognised. In 2018 he was nominated as one of Forbes '30 under 30' in Retail and E-commerce, the same year Gymshark's revenue reached $120 million. In December 2020 Ben was named EY's UK Entrepreneur of the Year, and in 2022 he was awarded an honorary degree by Aston University in recognition of his achievements in business.

In January 2023 Ben Francis was appointed an MBE for services to commerce and the economy.