Ben Francis

Benjamin David Francis (born 4 June 1992) is a British billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder, CEO and majority owner of Gymshark, a fitness apparel and accessories company founded in 2012. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to the business sector.

With a stake of over 70% in Gymshark which is currently valued by investors at $1.45 billion, Francis had a net worth of $1.3 billion as of April 2023. In April 2023, he made his debut on Forbes' annual The World's Billionaires list.

Early life Benjamin David Francis was born in the West Midlands, England in 1992 and grew up in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. He attended South Bromsgrove High School. His first business was an online company that sold car number plates. Francis started going to the gym as a teenager. He dropped out in 2012.

Career Before launching Gymshark, Francis developed two fitness applications, Fat Loss Abs Guide and . He left six months after launching Gymshark. The website initially sold fitness supplements. In 2013, branching out from supplements, Francis began designing and selling fitness apparel on Gymshark's website. He learned how to sew from his grandmother.

In 2013, he exhibited Gymshark's products at the BodyPower fitness trade show in Birmingham. At the time, he said the move would allow the company "to grow even more quickly" and give him time to "work on my weaknesses and become a more rounded businessperson". In 2018, Gymshark opened a new £5 million headquarters in Solihull, West Midlands. In 2019, Gymshark opened its own branded gym and innovation hub. Since 2016, Gymshark has been listed on The Sunday Times Fast Track of fast-growing private companies. The company currently sells products in 131 countries.

In August 2020, Gymshark sold a 21% stake to US private equity firm General Atlantic in a deal which valued the company in excess of £1 billion. Francis's 70% stake in the company is worth £700 million.

In 2018, Francis was included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. In 2019, Francis served on the UK Government's Business Council for Entrepreneurs. In 2020, Francis was awarded the EY UK Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Francis was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to the business sector.

Personal life Francis is a car and motorcycle enthusiast, and a season ticket holder at Aston Villa. On 8 September 2022, Francis announced that they were expecting twins. Their twin sons were born on 24 December 2022. In July 2024, the couple announced that they were expecting another child.