MATT FORD
Director
The year was 1997. I remember standing on the side of a hotel pool, whistle in hand, floatation device at the ready. Now 15 years later I am the proud owner of one of the biggest private educational companies in the UK and am one of only 3 Life Fitness & Hammer Strength Global Master Trainers. My journey, from pool lifeguard to gym assistant was swift. I served my time as a Personal Trainer and Gym Manager before moving on to become the youngest Lecturer that Premier Training International had taken on (at the time) at just 23. At this point I got the bug for knowledge, I took full advantage of learning from the fantastic minds I had surrounding me and feel privileged to have taught along side them. Spreading my wings I went into partnership with Don Goodman in 2003 and created GFI Training (FormulaGFi Ltd) and 10 years later I have never looked back. We love to be creative, innovative and move the industry and the people who work within it forward and enhance their delivery of knowledge and practical skills. I have a passion for fitness and a desire to see people get the very best from training as I did all those years ago. Training with us you wear our/my name and I want you to wear it with pride, secure in the knowledge that you have been trained by someone that cares. I have worked with some of the worlds best, trained at some of the best facilities known to man and presented at the biggest trade shows on the planet but none of that compares to the moment I visit one of our courses and see GFI's staff (most of who have grown along with us) delivering quality courses and passing on their knowledge to others at the start of their own journey.

Don Goodman
Director
As most people know now, Don had a 20 year career as a professional footballer with the likes of WBA, Sunderland & Wolves and is now enjoying the football side of his life working for Sky Sports. It was 10 years ago that Don set out on his ‘life after football’ career. He’d decided to pursue a career in health & fitness and it was during the process of training for his new career that he met Matt Ford (his tutor!!). It was whilst on his course that the seeds of an idea were sewn and Don & Matt got their heads together and Formula GFI Ltd was created shortly after, with Matt quitting his job and joining Don in 50/50 partnership. Of course, the hard work was just beginning and Don & Matt would work 60+ hours a week in the first few years and go through several changes of direction to arrive at where they find themselves today…which is the proud owners of GFI Training; the country’s premier independent health & fitness training provider. From the early days of being very much hands on, Don’s role has changed dramatically and in his own words, he now focuses mainly on ‘the messy’ jobs! He’s in charge of things like HR & accounting and of course the all-important decision-making within the company, which he fits in between his hectic TV schedule.

Katie Ford
Education Manager
Katie has worked in the Health & Fitness industry for more than 16 years starting off as a Fitness & ETM Instructor to Personal Trainer through to Club Management before embarking on a career in Fitness Education as a Tutor/Assessor. She moved to GFI Training as Education Manager in 2010. Katie doesn't just coordinate all of our courses, she also manages the college contracts we secure and runs GFI Training on a day to day basis. Katie has a great deal of knowledge and experience in Tutor/Assessing & Internal Verification and with her and our lead IV's combined expertise; GFI are able to offer each student an excellent learning experience.

Lee Perry
Internal Verifier
Lee Perry worked in the education sector for fifteen years delivering, assessment and quality management. He has worked with awarding bodies such as AIQ, Edexcel,OCR and EDI, as an External Verifier, writing and designing qualifications and producing published materials (books, cd roms). As a sportsman (triathlon and biathlon) Lee competed at 3 elite world championships finishing 12th in Monaco and Port Elizabeth South Africa in 1999 and 2000. Lee also competed in 3 triathlon world championships at amateur level in Mexico, Canada and Portugal before retiring 2004. Lee is committed to achieving consistent standards of high quality across all our qualifications as GFI’s Internal Verifier.