Stepathlon: Motivating people to lead a Healthy Lifestyle

In a  candid conversation with Insights Success, Ravi Krishnan, the Chairman and Shivam Srivastava the Deputy Managing Director of the Company gave some insightful answers highlighting the influences made by the company to take wellness industry to next level.

1. Kindly brief us about your Company and what kind of wellness programs does the company provide to their customers.

Stepathlon is a unique health and wellness program that effectively combines wellness and social participation. It’s global, mass participation format motivates the ‘everyday athlete’ to take 10,000 steps a day, by providing them with an inclusive wellbeing engagement platform. The Stepathlon format aims to break the cycle of sedentary behavior and help people understand and manage their health and wellbeing, by rewarding them for achieving their health goals.
Stepathlon was established in 2012, as a B2B wellness program catering to corporates globally, with the vision of providing a holistic health and wellness ecosystem and changing lives for the better.  Over the last seven years, Stepathlon has evolved towards fulfilling this vision by engaging over 500,000 Stepathletes from 722 companies across 1500 locations in 65 countries.
Recently Stepathlon forayed into the consumer space by tying up with Manchester City Football Club, leveraging Stepathlon’s Corporate Wellness Platform in the pursuit of the ‘Holy Grail’ of Fan Engagement. The Stepathlon ‘10,000 step- Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime’ principle was extended to a larger audience by combining competitive and co-operative motivators in a growing community of health enthusiasts via Tecno Race to Manchester City powered by Stepathlon.

2. Tell us something about the CEO/founder/MD of the company?

Bestowed with the title of the ‘First Man of Sports’ by a leading Sports Business publication, Ravi Krishnan is one of the most prominent names in the Indian Sports, Media & Entertainment Business.
Ravi is the Chairman of KWANAbler, a Company focused on partnering global stakeholders in Sports, Media and Entertainment, looking to create long term value for both sides in the Indian market. In this venture, he has partnered with KWAN, India’s premier marketplace for entertainment and pop culture.
Recently KWANAbler has partnered with City Football Group (Owners of the Premier League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup Champions–Manchester City FC) to build commercial opportunities in India.
Adding to his notable ventures, Ravi has joined the World’s First Franchisee-Based Motor Racing Series, X1 Racing League as Chairman (NE). The League is backed and sanctioned by the Federation Internationale de I’Automobile (FIA) and the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI).
Additionally, Ravi is also currently the Chairman & Co-Founder of Stepathlon, India’s largest mass participation platform that, in his words, “brings a sports marketing approach to wellness” for corporates and the employees and consumers via Fan Engagement.
To develop healthier, happier and more productive future generations, Ravi has partnered with Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and his management company, Cornerstone Sports & Entertainment, to launch Stepathlon Kids.
Ravi moved to India, from Australia, in 1995 to set up IMG in the region and went on to serve as Managing Director for South Asia. He created multiple successful properties during his time with IMG such as; India’s only ATP event, The (Indo-Pakistan) Sahara Cup (Cricket), Lakme Fashion Week (India’s first fashion week).
Since 2011, Ravi has been on a path to create an IP focused SME business, partnering/advising global stakeholders on market entry and establishment in India.
Ravi has been named in the Top 50 Most Influential People in Indian Sport by Sports Illustrated and the Top 25 Executives under the age of 40 in Business Today.

3. How has wellness programs proven to be an excellent way to ‘change’ and lifestyle enhancement of people?

Stepathlon is a ‘movement’ event that also incorporates nutrition and mental health. It focuses on teamwork and ‘community’. When you are doing something in a group, research shows you are better motivated to continue and do well. Stepathlon helps participants bring about positive, sustainable, behavioural change. Through our various interactions and surveys with the participants, the results brought out were — 61% Stepathletes saw higher energy levels, 17% of Stepathletes who smoked prior to Stepathlon quit smoking and 45% of Stepathletes experienced lower levels of stress. 58% Stepatheles reported improved quality of sleep, 50% of Stepathletes increased their frequency of exercise, 77% of Stepathletes lost weight and 90% Stepathletes were more responsible about their health and well-being.

4. Mention some of the achievements and clients’ feedback that are notable to you

Stepathlon has had close to 5,00,000 participants in over 1500 locations in 65 countries.
Stepathlon has had participation from 700+ companies in the last 7 years. It provides a solution that transforms the sedentary into active and the active into more active, irrespective of age, gender, designation, location and fitness levels. We help participants make positive, sustainable, behavioural change.
Over the years we have received a lot of positive feedback from the participants and the employers alike.
“Stepathlon’s simplicity, relevance and accessibility make it universally applicable, promoting health as a right and not a privilege, in a goal and team-oriented environment. The good news from Stepathlon is that by making small changes we can individually and collectively achieve big results.” – Anand Mahindra, Chairman & Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra
“Stepathlon is a proactive way to assist our resources in leading a Healthier Lifestyle. It allows more and more people to become a lot more aware as to what they need to do to become healthier”. – Rajeev Menon, Chief Operating Officer, APEC, Marriott International

5. What steps do you take to increase your client bookings and retentions? Kindly brief us about the most satisfactory experience with a client.

Companies want to have more productive employees, and if companies make a contribution to their health, that goal can be achieved.
Over the past 7 years, Stepathlon has built a brand for itself that companies trust and believe in. Our clients are corporates that have seen a positive change in their workforce or corporates that have heard about us from their counterparts in other companies that have participated in Stepathlon before.
Employee health is a business investment, and good companies recognise that.
Recently, a customized version of Stepathlon was run Marriott Hotels across Asia Pacific. A successful build up and engagement campaign attracted participation from close to 12,500 Marriott Associates from 600 Marriott properties with 93% actively participating on the platform and a total step count of over 6 Billion steps.
An End of Event Survey was conducted with the key stakeholders and the results from the survey were: Overall Event Rating: 4 out of 5, Overall Stepathlon Support Rating: 4.5 out of 5,  Key Outcome of the Event: “More Associates getting engaged and having fun”

6. What are the benefits gained by your clients through your membership?

Companies have been facing high levels of absenteeism due to sickness arising from a sedentary lifestyle. There is also a growing syndrome called ‘presenteeism’ – which means employees are physically present in office but productivity is low as they are feeling under-energised or over- stressed and regularly take breaks – either for cigarettes or coffee and are unable to give their 100% to their jobs.
Over the years, Stepathlon has helped reduce absenteeism and presenteeism by 48%. Participants have reported a 34% increase engagement levels and a 35% Increased productivity levels. Stepathlon has successfully helped create a ‘one’ company feeling amongst participants of various corporates

7. What is USP of your company?

Stepathlon focuses on activation and engagement to get participants moving towards their health and fitness goals by engaging first and then making healthy. Stepathlon brings a ‘sports marketing approach to wellness’ and that is why we are still around while many other players have fallen by the wayside. The shoes don’t make you fit, the device doesn’t make you fit, and the gym membership doesn’t make you fit. It’s all about behaviour—Stepathlon is in the human behaviour business.

8. What can be expected from your company in the upcoming years? Brief us about the future vision of the company.

At Stepathlon, we believe in glancing back and “glaring” forward as a way of creating path breaking initiatives. With respect to what’s on the anvil for the future, we prefer to “walk the walk” than just talk. We do believe there are many more firsts to come from Stepathlon.
With the tremendous success of our first Fan Engagement B2C offering, we plan to extend the platform to relevant stakeholders. It’s a question of being both strategic and opportunistic through a combination of structure and spontaneity.