'Women are risking their health for work'

‘We spend our lives running from pillar to post and not necessarily doing anything to the best of our ability,’ says Kate Percival, founder of Grace Belgravia – London’s top health, wellbeing and lifestyle club for women.

And she should know. Percival started her career in advertising and then moved into the property industry, creating marketing and branding campaigns for clients. After selling her business to Chime Communications, she became chairwoman of the group's creative and marketing services. She admits that, like many busy businesswomen, she spent her life multitasking, always putting family and work before her own health.

In 2008, she decided on a career change and studied for a master’s in luxury brands and services. Her thesis was on the convergence of medicine and the global spa industry – and that formed the basis of her business plan for Grace Belgravia, a ‘sanctuary’ for time-starved, stressed-out women comprising a club, a spa, gym, a full medical centre, a bar and a restaurant.