# Russell Teale

> Russell Teale is the Manchester-based co-founder and CEO of Vivify Venues, launched in 2020 to help schools rent facilities to community groups outside teaching hours. A former Total Fitness operations director, FiTR co-founder and School Lettings Solutions head of operations, he connects his business purpose to his upbringing in Wythenshawe and his mother’s example of helping others. He was recognised in the LDC Top 50 and won the Northern Leaders Judges’ Award in 2025.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Vivify Venues
- **Organizations:** Vivify Venues, Total Fitness, FiTR / Your Fitness Journey Ltd, School Lettings Solutions, Cheadle Town FC, Laurus Trust, IMIN Ltd
- **Nationality:** British
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Chester
- **Known for:** Co-founded Vivify Venues in 2020., Progressed from HR administrator to operations director at Total Fitness and participated in a management buyout., Led Vivify through the 2022 acquisition of Community Hire.

## Career timeline

- **2004–2008** — Studied Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Chester.
- **Before 2017** — Progressed from HR administrator to operations director at Total Fitness; participated in a management buyout.
- **2017** — Left Total Fitness after nearly ten years.
- **2018** — Co-founded Your Fitness Journey, which launched the FiTR app with David Pickering and Rhys Jones.
- **2018–2021** — Served as a non-executive board member at Cheadle Town FC, according to his LinkedIn profile.
- **2019–2020** — Head of Operations at School Lettings Solutions, February 2019 to July 2020.
- **2020** — Co-founded Vivify Venues with Alaine Swis and Andy Mellor.
- **2022** — Vivify acquired Community Hire following a reported £1 million funding injection earlier that year.
- **2023** — Vivify took over Northgate Sports Centre bookings and out-of-hours service; later reported 10 million visits and £10 million generated for schools.
- **2023–2025** — Listed on LinkedIn as a Laurus Trust school governor from November 2023 to March 2025.
- **2025** — Included in the LDC Top 50 and won the Judges’ Award at the Northern Leaders Awards.
- **2026** — Katie Winstanley joined Vivify’s executive team as COO; Teale was appointed a director of IMIN Ltd on 25 August.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Vivify Venues in 2020.
- Progressed from HR administrator to operations director at Total Fitness and participated in a management buyout.
- Led Vivify through the 2022 acquisition of Community Hire.
- Vivify reported 10 million facility visits and £10 million generated for schools in November 2023.
- Included in the LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders 2025.
- Won the Judges’ Award at the 2025 Northern Leaders Awards.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Appointed a director of IMIN Ltd on 25 August; Companies House also recorded Vivify Venues Ltd as a person with significant control from that date.
- **2026-08** — Katie Winstanley joined Vivify as COO alongside Teale and CFO Stephanie Potts, as reported on 7 August.
- **2026-05** — Appeared on The Naked Founder podcast discussing Vivify, investors, leadership and professional networks.
- **2026-02** — Featured on We Are PoWEr’s podcast discussing community access to school facilities.

## Links

- Website: https://www.vivifyvenues.com/
- LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/russellteale

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/russell-teale
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25