Physical activity expert Dr William Bird MBE is among the standout names recruited to Slimming World’s specialist advisor panel as the weight management company seeks to combine exercise, nutrition and behaviour change experts to promote healthier lifestyles.

Bird, who is CEO and founder of Intelligent Health and one of the UK’s leading experts on physical activity, will advise on the development of the company’s work with health professionals and promotion of its physical activity programme. Slimming World currently provide lifestyle and weight management service to around 800,000 members across the UK and Ireland in community venues each week.

Slimming World’s specialist advisor panel brings together leaders in a range of obesity and behaviour change disciplines including nutrition, physical activity, psychology and child and public health. The company regularly consults its specialists on developments and policy changes to ensure its lifestyle programmes are in line with current best practice, and to maintain a research portfolio in line with emerging public health issues.

“I have been deeply impressed by the results that Slimming World deliver and the ethos of getting people to work out the solutions themselves with the fabulous group support,” said Bird.

“I believe that most of the health problems that face the NHS have been self-created and that everyone is capable of changing their behaviour. Slimming World seems to have found a perfect solution and it will be a privilege to work with this successful organisation."

Meanwhile, Professor Mike Kelly – former director of the Centre for Public Health at the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) – will also be joining Bird as a new recruit on the panel. While helming public health at NICE, Kelly led teams producing guidelines on the prevention of obesity. He is Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health, Honorary Fellow Royal College of Physicians and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.