Team Focus: Steve Barrett Global Director of Education

Steve Barrett – Director of Global Group Training & Education for Matrix Worldwide gives us a glimpse into his career history. From the beginnings – to becoming a well known name in the fitness industry.

Steve has been a familiar face at global events for over 30 years – he’s worked on developing and marketing products and programming with Reebok, Pavigym and Escape Fitness, having started out as Global Master Trainer for Reebok International. Outside of the B2B market, he has worked with major international companies including Nestle and Kellogg’s, where he created the original programming for the renowned Special K ‘drop a dress size’ campaign.

Since 2012, Steve was contracted to JHT UK as a Matrix Fitness Brand Ambassador, so he was well versed in the Matrix commercial product portfolio and company philosophies before he was offered the newly created role of Director of Global Group Training & Education for Matrix Worldwide in November 2016.

In January 2017 Steve Barrett joined the JHT global Team based out of Cottage Grove in Wisconsin USA. His first project was to recruit a team of super talented trainers from as far afield as UAE and Australia and invite them to a Matrix international show site, Welnesselande, in Rotterdam to train them as Brand Ambassadors as well as Master Trainers in MX4. This summit reinforced Steve’s long term vision and laid the format and foundations for the future of Matrix education. Sixteen new trainers from all over the world were born… and this was just the beginning. The success of this Train the Trainer event lead to the running of a second event later in the year with some incredible new Master Trainer recruits traveling from throughout Europe, Mexico and Hong Kong.

Steve soon established that as well as developing exciting new and innovative programming for the global market his overall goal would be to continue to develop and grow the team of Master Trainers and ensure that they become a valuable asset to the brand.

For the international markets, Steve has fine-tuned the MX4 package to optimise it as a global product solution. MX4 is the unique small group training experience that combines Matrix equipment with original turnkey programming. Not only has he invested his soul into this, throughout his first 12 months at Matrix, Steve has flown to multiple countries, multiple times and presented at events around the world.

Learn more about MX4 here.

The first event Steve attended as part of the global team was IHRSA, USA. This was the first time Steve was seen in a different light as the ‘Global Director of Education’ as opposed to “Steve Barrett, fitness presenter on the microphone”. It was also a prime opportunity for him to meet international SBUs from all over the world. Presenting at TaiSPO, Taiwan, followed shortly after this for Steve, combining a visit to Matrix HQ and introduction to the JHT founder Mr Peter Lo.

As well as this, 2017 saw Steve presenting at FIBO, Cologne; Rimini Wellness, Italy; Plus presentations to key accounts in London, Amsterdam, Mexico and the Sportec event in Tokyo… Not to mention Steve’s event highlight – IDEA, Las Vegas. As an International Presenter Steve has had the honour of presenting at IDEA on multiple occasions but this year in addition to meeting many international customers he managed to find time to attend many enlightening presentations by some of the finest speakers in the world with his stand out session being Dr Pamela Peake – a master of presenting, talking about obesity and addiction.

Steve Barrett’s skills have been a huge asset to Matrix Fitness worldwide for many years but now, with his sole focus on global education we have many exciting plans set to launch in 2018… Watch this space!