Education-Led
Experience-Driven
Built for the UAE
IQ Lifestyle is a Dubai-based fitness education and wellness company offering UK and UAE accredited personal trainer qualifications, group fitness certifications, corporate wellbeing programmes and wellness solutions. As a REPS UAE approved provider, we deliver education and training across the fitness and wellness industry — serving individuals, fitness professionals, corporate clients, hospitality groups and government projects throughout the UAE and beyond.
Meet the Founders
Gemma Quinnell
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Originally from the UK and based in the UAE for over a decade, Gemma brings nearly two decades of experience in the fitness industry — with fifteen years dedicated to fitness education, curriculum development and professional training.
Gemma holds qualifications across the full spectrum of disciplines taught at IQ Lifestyle, alongside a Diploma in Education and Training and further certifications in Assessing and Quality Assurance. Her career spans luxury hotels and five-star resorts across Europe, North Africa, the US and the Middle East, cruise lines, holiday centres, government fitness projects and community programmes — giving her a truly global perspective on what exceptional fitness delivery looks like.
With a strong foundation in group fitness and a background in dance and performance, Gemma has previously headed up a Fitness Education Centre in the UK and Malta, delivered exercise referral schemes, and tutored for multiple leading fitness education providers. She has worked with professional athletes, gyms, boutique studios, corporations, families, communities, national events and children's programmes — building and energising wellness initiatives from the ground up.
Gemma combines deep industry knowledge with sharp business acumen — having founded and run multiple businesses — to ensure every IQ Lifestyle programme is not just world-class in content, but built for the real world of UAE fitness careers.
Specialities:
Integrated Performance Coaching | Group Fitness | Community Activations | Wellness | Education | Business Development
Irfan Omar
Co-Founder
Born and raised in Dubai - Irfan is a true product of the UAE's dynamic fitness scene. With a career built across commercial gyms, luxury hotels, community projects and private clientele, he brings an intimate understanding of what fitness professionals and clients in this market truly need.
Irfan holds qualifications across all disciplines delivered by IQ Lifestyle, as well as a Diploma in Education and Training and certifications in Assessing and Quality Assurance. His speciality lies in gym-based exercise programming — intelligently combining resistance training with complementary modalities including Pilates and massage therapy to deliver holistic, results-driven outcomes for clients.
Beyond fitness, Irfan's background in music production has shaped his instinct for creativity, timing and performance — qualities that translate directly into the dynamic, engaging learning environments IQ Lifestyle is known for. He has delivered sessions across the full spectrum of UAE fitness environments: from five-star hotel wellness facilities and family community projects to corporate wellbeing programmes and high-performance individual coaching.
As Co-Founder, Irfan ensures that IQ Lifestyle's programmes are not only academically rigorous but practically relevant — equipping every graduate with the real-world skills to thrive in the UAE fitness industry.
Music Production | Functional Conditioning | Recovery | Longevity | Movement Mechanics | Lifestyle Coaching