04-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
She's living locally, working globally
Les Mills International's global events manager Kylie Brittain. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Kylie Brittain is one of those few Queenstowners who can truly say they work on the world stage.
The former Destination Queenstown convention bureau manager's been global events manager for Auckland-headquartered Les Mills International for the past three years.
The fitness-centric company, founded by Phillip Mills and named after his father, a former Auckland mayor and champion field athlete, is represented in 23 countries.
As events manager, Brittain organises three or four global fitness events a year.
Once a year, 4000 to 5000 Les Mills personnel also converge for two-day workouts and activations.
"One of the cool ones we did last year in Berlin was we set it up like a car wash-type thing."
Brittain's also organised events in London, in Los Angeles and Portland in the United States and Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia.
Currently she's working on events in Amsterdam and Tokyo.
After leaving DQ 10 years go, Brittain was senior experience manager for event company The Orange Group, then formed her own company, Ripple, with Queenstowner Samantha Stirling.
"Had Covid not happened, that could still very well be going now."
In applying for the Les Mills position, which for the first 15 months was contracted maternity cover, "my first response was, 'obviously, I don't live in Auckland, so I'm assuming that means I wouldn't be a viable candidate"'.
"And they were basically like, 'don't let the geography put you off because we have people working remotely all the time'."
Brittain, who now works out of Auckland HQ one week a month, says "the coolest thing is when you actually see these events you've spent nine months working on, come to life".
"You're so proud of what you do when you see people having a good time at something you've organised, and I think that's the thing that keeps you coming back all the time."
