Founder Spotlight: Gemma

England

Every spotlight series has that one story that started it all — and for IQ Lifestyle, that story belongs to Gemma Quinnell herself.

Gemma's roots are in dance. A professional performer from the very beginning, her career took her across five-star hotels throughout Europe and North Africa, holiday resorts where she worked as a Bluecoat at Pontins, Lapland entertainment experiences, and a travelling circus. She performed at Disneyland Paris and went on to work as a Host on Royal Caribbean cruise ships — one of the most prestigious entertainment environments in the world — where MCing some of the biggest name acts at sea was just part of the role. She also worked as a guest presenter and hosted wellness retreats at Champneys Resorts, building a reputation as a dynamic, community-focused professional wherever she went.

But it was fitness that truly captured her heart.

Grounded in dance, Gemma's passion naturally led her into Pilates, yoga, and group fitness. She began teaching in the UK and quickly built something remarkable — attracting more than 100 participants to her Zumba sessions and creating a thriving fitness community from the ground up. That ability to bring people together became a defining thread throughout everything she has built since.

Alongside her group fitness work, Gemma worked within the National Health Service in the UK in fitness with medical referral — working with some of the most vulnerable members of the community and understanding the true power of movement as medicine. She also delivered fitness and wellness services to corporate clients and ran retreats, establishing herself as a trusted voice across multiple sectors of the industry.

In 2010, Gemma opened her first fitness education centre in the UK — and she hasn't looked back since. Her education business expanded to Malta, then into the UAE, where she co-founded IQ Lifestyle FZ LLC in 2016. With more than 20 years of experience in health, wellness, and fitness, and over 15 years running education centres, Gemma has built IQ Lifestyle into a Focus Awards Approved Centre and REPS UAE Recognised Centre — delivering Ofqual-regulated qualifications across personal training, Pilates, group fitness, sports massage, nutrition, strength and conditioning, and more.

Today, IQ Lifestyle serves individual students, corporate clients, luxury hotels, and large-scale government events including the Dubai Fitness Challenge and the Dubai Mallathon.🏋️

Community has always been at the heart of everything Gemma does. From her early Zumba classes in the UK to the thousands of students and coaches she has supported across the UAE, her mission has never changed — to educate, inspire, and create opportunities for fitness professionals to thrive.

Gemma is not just the founder of IQ Lifestyle — she is living proof of everything the company stands for. Lifelong learning, relentless ambition, and a genuine love for helping others grow. 💜

🔗 Follow Gemma: @gemmaquinnell

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