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Exploring Health and Wellness at the Bank - Insights from a Multinational Fitness Professional

Mike James rower
Mike James [right] participating in a fitness challenge during Healthy Heart week, February 1995 (1804242).
It started in 1993 with an unexpected phone call. That call triggered Michael ‘Mike’ James’ journey from Australia to the World Bank Group. For 24 Years he was the driving vision behind the World Bank’s Fitness Center.

“One of my staff said, ‘Mike, there's a phone call from Washington, DC’. I thought, that's one of my Aussie mates playing a joke on me of course, but it wasn't. It was someone from the World Bank. And the thing was, I had never heard of the World Bank.”  - Mike James

Mike James
James participating in a fitness challenge during Healthy Heart week, February 1995 (1804242).
In this Development Reflection, Mike chats with Bob Malloy, acting director of the Bank's Information and Technology Data Technology Department (ITSDO), about the unique path that led him to join the Bank, developing fitness in the organization, changes he has seen as the head of the Fitness Center, and the impact of Covid on staff fitness.

“The Bank, I found, was always very good at supporting further education initiatives. Self-improvement initiatives and so forth. I really appreciated the Bank from the outset.”  - Mike James

This episode gives listeners a peek into the World Bank from a different lens and sheds light on the evolving role and the importance of fitness in the institution.  Learn about the importance of people-to-people skills, the vital role that management plays in growth and success, and the inclusion of staff’s input and participation.  Mike experienced the impact of James Wolfensohn’s presidency, and the accompanying changes to both the structural and institutional culture.  He speaks about listening to staff and some of their unique suggestions on fitness.  

“[S]trong management support [...] that's essential, because if you don't have that, people might feel guilty about going to a fitness center.” - Mike James

Mike James atrium
Fitness Center demonstration during the Staff Association's annual Staff Week, June 1999 (30441758)
Mike stresses the importance of leadership buy-in for the improvement and growth of health and wellness and the success of the Fitness Center.  He discusses the importance of collaboration and adaptability in a changing world.  A seasoned fitness professional, Mike shares how building connections with neighboring institutions and with local fitness centers was essential for the development and growth of the Bank’s Fitness Center.

After retirement Mike stayed in touch with the WBG fitness staff.  When asked about the pandemic, he discusses pivoting strategies and how focusing on people skills played an important role during Covid’s early days. 

“It's important to reach out to people, because you just don't know how lonely some people are. And even if they want to stay set in their ways, you at least reach out.” - Mike James

Join us in learning about the Bank from a unique perspective while gaining insight into how fitness has gained the level of importance it now has for Bank staff. Mike’s experiences help illuminate how fitness has evolved, along with the institution, over the past quarter century. 

Interested in sharing your experiences?

Retiring and Former Bank staff can participate in the Development Reflections series in a variety of ways.  Please contact us at wbglibrary@worldbank.org.




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