We bring together expertise from the worlds of science, health, business and performance. Our backgrounds in these areas, and our extensive network of collaborators and partners, equip us with the insight to meet your needs effectively.
Dr. Ross Tucker – Chief Knowledge Officer
Dr Ross Tucker is a Professor of Exercise Physiology with the School of Medicine of the University of the Free State. He is the scientific and research consultant to World Rugby, ambassador and scientific advisor to Virgin Active and adidas, and a published author, opinion leader and consultant to numerous elite sports teams and organisations. These include SA Sevens (including the 2009/2010 World Series winning team), SA Kayaking, SA Triathlon, USA triathlon and the UK Olympic Committee. His current research interests include the application of science to teams, high performance culture, talent identification and management, the limits of human performance, and performance and wellness in companies.
He created and runs The Science of Sport website, and has written opinion articles for publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian (UK), Le Monde (France) and The Times (SA). In 2013, he was named by Mail and Guardian in their list of Top 200 Influential Young South Africans, and by the Minister of Sport as one of the 100 Influential people in South African Sport.
Ross’ passion is the application of exercise science to strategy, for both wellness and performance. How do teams, sports or business, get the most out of their team members, and how can a scientific approach help achieve this? Ross is known as an engaging, effective presenter with forthright views on all aspects related to performance and strategy.
Susan Johnston – Director
Susan Johnston completed her undergraduate degree in Human Kinetics and Ergonomics at Rhodes University, followed by her Honours in Biokinetics at the University of Cape Town. Susan has since worked as a biokineticist at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa’s (SSISA) Wellness and Fitness Centre. She progressed on to managing one of the programmes on offer at the SSISA involved in weight maintenance and decreasing health risks through the application of exercise modalities, nutrition advice, and psychological principles. Susan was also the Skills Development Facilitator, where she aligned the skills training at the SSISA with the Annual Training Report and the Workplace Skills Plan required by CATHSSETA.
Susan completed her Masters in Business Administration (MBA) with Distinction at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business in 2014. Susan has maintained her registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) as a Biokineticist.
Susan has always been passionate about health and wellness and helping people achieve their goals in this area. Through her experience in the field of biokinetics, and the skills acquired during the MBA, Susan realised that she wanted to change her focus from just working with individuals to looking at larger organisations as in whole in improving performance and productivity.