As featured in The Australian, 13 November 2023

As a result of the pandemic, the global wellness economy experienced a significant surge.

After a woo-woo beginning, ‘wellness’ is evolving into something more credible. The term began life as a nebulous definition as physical fitness, or vague notions about spirulina, but has expanded to be a more holistic system to include mental and emotional well-being, social health, environmental factors, and lifestyle choices.

The Wellness Access Institute (WAI), part of the Access Group, is a global organisation dedicated to advancing wellness through innovation and expertise. WAI unites established doctors, scientists and researchers in a collaborative forum where discovery is shared, to help accelerate the latest developments in science to consumers.

Leading the way

As a result of the pandemic, the global wellness economy has experienced a significant surge, with annual growth estimated at 9.9 per cent and projected to reach US$7 trillion by 2025.

This growth presents a challenge for consumers in differentiating between products and services that genuinely offer quality and effectiveness, amid the increased supply. This elite panel of experts drawn from academia, science and technology to collaboratively tackle some of the persistent health issues facing global communities.

WAI’s Wellness Reimagined Report 2024 is themed upon longevity and charts the latest developments across a series of trending health subjects.

Rewarding thoughtful innovation

The institute is deeply committed to supporting the next generation of international business leaders, as exemplified by its partnership and mentoring role with the University of Sydney Business School’s Genesis program. With a 15 year history, the Genesis program has supported more than 1,000 startups.

Beyond nurturing the cohort’s start-up pursuits, the Wellness Access Institute fosters a culture of quality nutrition and self care, implementing an ethos of ‘Wellness in the Workplace’, as a key judging criteria for a sustainable and successful approach to modern business.

“As a leader within the wellness industry, it’s part of the responsibility of WAI to help foster positive approaches to health amongst the next generation of business leaders. The world thinks of wellness as a luxury – we want to establish it as a necessity for healthy living,” says University of Sydney alumni and co-Founder of the Wellness Access Institute, Warren Liu.

“Anyone pushing the boundaries of performance in the workplace can easily go too far and neglect their health in the process. Finding balance is vital to achieving a sustainable and successful career. Genesis is a best-in-class program for global entrepreneurs, and we are proud of everything it represents, the partnership celebrates many aligned goals across business and wellbeing.”

This year’s Genesis Wellness Reimagined prize was awarded to climate tech company Everyday Zero who impressed the judges with their dedication to effortless sustainability. Jack Purdon, Co-Founder of Everyday Zero, shared, “It’s incredible to see a company like Wellness Access Institute (WAI) actively provide a platform and funding for young innovative start-ups. This opportunity will be an incredible enabler for Everyday Zero on our mission to help every building achieve zero waste to landfill.”