Nerio Alessandri

Founder, President & CEO, Technogym

Few executives have played a bigger role in shaping the look and feel of fitness and wellness across the world than Nerio Alessandri, who founded Technogym back in 1983. Over the last four-plus decades, the Italian fitness equipment and tech giant has established itself as a mainstay in gyms, health clubs and hotel wellness centers everywhere, pushing the limits of what fitness can be – both aesthetically and functionally. 

Under the still-energetic Alessandri, Technogym isn’t resting on its laurels. The company is investing in AI-powered equipment and software to create personalized fitness routines with an eye toward longevity and preventive health. Earlier this year, Technogym unveiled “Healthness,” a bold new vision for the convergence of fitness, health and lifestyle that aims to make fitness a bigger part of the global healthcare conversation.

LinkedIn

Cory Brightwell

Co-Founder & ceo, Chuze Fitness

Under Cory Brightwell, Chuze Fitness has become one of America’s top HVLP gym brands, driven by the guiding principle that fitness is a hospitality industry. In 2023, the company acquired 16 Bailey’s Health & Fitness clubs in Florida and Georgia, adding to its strong base on the West Coast and turning Chuze into a nationwide brand. Since then, Chuze has been adding next-level amenities like Lift Lab, an access-controlled room featuring top-flight strength training equipment. 

LinkedIn

Adam Goldenberg

Co-founder & ceo, Fabletics

Adam Goldenberg has grown Fabletics into one of the biggest – and most innovative – brands in activewear. The world’s largest digitally native activewear brand, Fabletics achieved $850 million in sales in 2024, expanded its physical footprint to over 100 retail stores and continues to strike industry-defining celebrity partnerships with names like Khloe Kardashian and Kevin Hart.

LinkedIn

Tom Hale

ceo, Oura

As the CEO of Oura, Tom Hale has transformed the company’s flagship Oura Ring from a niche sleep tracker into a globally recognized personalized health coach. Over the last year, Oura launched the Oura Ring 4, its fourth-generation smart ring, and secured $200 million in Series D funding at a staggering $5.2 billion valuation.

LinkedIn

Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer

Co-founder & ceo, egym

Under Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer’s leadership, EGYM has become a global leader in fitness technology, equipment and, increasingly, in corporate health. With a vision of shifting healthcare from repair to prevention, EGYM has built its Wellpass platform into a European juggernaut with plans to scale significantly in the U.S. In 2024, the company raised $200 million in a Series G funding round at a valuation of over $1 billion. 

LinkedIn

Christian Toetzke

founder & ceo, HYROX

Christian Toetzke has turned HYROX into one of the most popular fitness brands in the world – and there’s some sense that it’s just scratching the surface. On track to generate around $140 million in revenue in 2025, the fitness racing brand stages events in the biggest cities across the globe, signed a high-profile deal with Puma and has a thriving affiliate gym business that delivers HYROX training content to over 8,000 facilities worldwide. 

LinkedIn

Kyle Jones

co-founder & Ceo, icryo

Kyle Jones co-founded iCRYO as a small cryotherapy shop in League City, Texas, at the age of 24. The wellness and longevity franchise recently celebrated its 50th opening, with many more currently in development. After a long tenure as iCRYO’s chief brand and innovation officer, Jones took the reins as CEO in the fall of 2024, swiftly leading iCRYO to its most successful six-month period in company history in terms of new openings.

LinkedIn

Chequan Lewis

President, Crunch Fitness

Chequan Lewis has only been in the fitness industry for a little over a year now, but he’s quickly making a name for himself. The former Pizza Hut exec has helped the fast-growing Crunch Fitness open its 500th club and surpass three million members. Lewis also helped lead the launch of Crunch 3.0, an ambitious redesign of Crunch’s gym template that could change the face of HVLP clubs.

LinkedIn

Dan Murphy

Chief operating officer, d1 Training

As D1 Training scales across the country, Dan Murphy is making sure the youth and adult athletic training brand does so the right way. Under Murphy’s leadership, D1 has brought its construction project management and equipment sourcing in-house, a move that’s saved serious money for franchisees while giving D1 more control as it eyes continued franchise growth. 

LinkedIn

Todd Scartozzi

Chief operating officer, Retro Fitness

A former Planet Fitness and Gold’s Gym exec, Todd Scartozzi has been instrumental in Retro Fitness’ modernization efforts since the pandemic. Scartozzi’s leadership has been instrumental in helping Retro Fitness close new franchise deals including Project LIFT, a large-scale partnership with the BlackRock Impact Opportunities Fund. Scartozzi also developed the “RF21” model, which has transformed the look and feel of Retro’s clubs across the country. 

LinkedIn

Chris Walker

Chief development officer, the picklr

Pickleball is growing fast, and The Picklr is growing with it. Chris Walker has been instrumental to that growth, helping the indoor pickleball franchise sell over 500 locations to date and overseeing the development of three million square feet of space in the last 12 months alone. Already a force in the U.S., The Picklr has inked deals to expand into Canada and Japan, bringing the sport of pickleball to an even wider audience. 

LinkedIn

Tara Sue Gally-Strauss

CeO, F45 Orlando All-Stars & MaD Fitness Group (f45 Training)

Tara Sue Gally-Strauss is one of the key entrepreneurs driving F45 Training’s expansion across the U.S. As the owner and operator of F45 Orlando All-Stars, Gally-Strauss owns six F45 studios, while she supports another 32 locations as the president of MAD Fitness Group. What’s more, Gally-Strauss serves as the North American Franchise Advisory Chair for F45, helping shape the future of fitness franchising.

LinkedIn

Mike Gray

President & Chief Operating Officer, Riser Fitness (Club Pilates)

Mike Gray is one of the most accomplished executives of any fitness franchise group. The former president of Club Pilates itself, Gray joined Riser Fitness, a top franchisee in the Club Pilates system, in 2024. Now, Gray is helping spearhead Riser’s ambitious expansion plans in the years ahead, including growing Club Pilates’ footprint in Mexico thanks to $72 million in growth capital from Fortress Investment Group.

LinkedIn

Andy Gundlach

Founder & Ceo, Omega Fitness Holdings (anytime Fitness)

Andy Gundlach teamed up with Russ Allen to form Omega Fitness in 2023, creating the largest Anytime Fitness franchise group in the United States. Individually recognized as two of the top operators in the Anytime system, Gundlach and Allen have big plans for Omega – with some help from private equity firm Rainier Partners. As CEO of Omega, Gundlach runs a franchise group that has 120 Anytime locations and counting, with plans to open significantly more in the years ahead. 

LinkedIn

Hunter Mitchem

Co-Founder & Ceo, 6g Holdings (SWTHZ)

Under Hunter Mitchem’s leadership, 6G Holdings has become a top franchisee of SWTHZ locations, opening studios in Illinois and Kansas, with more on the way, including in Oklahoma City. Serving 100-plus employees and thousands of clients, 6G has established itself as a name to watch as parent franchisor SWTHZ looks to bring the mental and physical health benefits of infrared saunas and cold plunging to the masses.

LinkedIn

Tony Scrimale

Ceo, cr Fitness (Crunch Fitness)

Tony Scrimale’s career is proof that hard work does indeed pay off. Initially hired as a cleaner at a small club chain back in the ‘90s, Scrimale has ascended to become the CEO of CR Fitness, the top franchise operator in the entire Crunch Fitness system. Under Scrimale’s leadership, CR Fitness has grown from 35 clubs in 2022 to 85 today, with gyms in five states and over 800,000 active members. 

LinkedIn

Dom Iacovone

founder & ceo, raw nutrition

A serial entrepreneur who has founded and co-founded brands including RAW Nutrition, Relive Health and Revive MD, Dom Iacovone’s companies provide athletes and fitness enthusiasts with top-quality supplements and wellness treatments. RAW Nutrition has become one of the supplement industry’s fastest-growing companies, having earned Brand of the Year honors from GNC and The Vitamin Shoppe. It also opened its first physical training facility a little over a year ago. 

LinkedIn

Chad Janis

founder & ceo, gruns

Chad Janis is the founder and CEO of Grüns, a wellness brand redefining daily nutrition with what it calls the first truly comprehensive gummy supplement. With Janis captaining the ship, Grüns recently secured national retail partnerships with Target, Walmart and Sprouts, expanded online through Amazon and reached a $500 million valuation. 

LinkedIn

Dane McCarthy

founder & ceo, the athletic clubs

Dane McCarthy is founder of The Athletic Clubs, a network of fitness studios in New York City popular for its distinct “squad training” concept. The ACs recently announced a $3.5 million funding round led by [solidcore] founder Anne Mahlum, meant to support expansion plans which include notching 15 locations by the end of 2026 and entering into new markets — with McCarthy leading the way

LinkedIn

Shalom Meckenzie

founder, amp fitness

Shalom Meckenzie added a new layer of innovation to at-home fitness by launching amp, an AI-powered home fitness system that delivers personalized, full-body strength training workouts. The brand was recently estimated to have generated $20 million in revenue after surpassing the 10,000+ installation mark.

LinkedIn

Jonathan Swerdlin

Co-founder & ceo, Function Health

Jonathan Swerdlin leads the charge for Function Health, a platform offering access to over 160 advanced lab tests that analyze heart health, hormones, toxins, autoimmunity, nutrients and more while also facilitating full-body scans. Under Swerdlin’s leadership, Function Health has recently acquired Ezra, a body-scanning tech brand, and secured a $53 million Series A funding round.

LinkedIn

Jon Canarick

managing partner, north castle partners

Under Jon Canarick’s leadership, North Castle Partners has backed some of the fitness and wellness industry’s biggest brands, fostering innovation and creating global success stories. The firm notably invested in Barry’s back in 2015 when the HIIT pioneer had just 10 stores. When North Castle sold the boutique fitness giant to Princeton Equity Group earlier this year, Barry’s had over 80 studios and a worldwide reputation for fitness excellence.

LinkedIn

Dan Gallagher

Chief financial officer, crunch fitness

As Crunch Fitness’ CFO, Dan Gallagher was critical to the HVLP gym brand’s recent strategic acquisition by private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners, one of the fitness industry’s biggest-ever deals. Gallagher led the selection of investment banks, development of the comprehensive offering memorandum and valuation considerations as well as due diligence and post-sale transition planning. As fitness fights for more respect from other industries, deals like LGP’s acquisition of Crunch will go a long way. 

LinkedIn

Marc Magliacano

managing partner, l catterton

As a managing partner at L Catterton focused on the firm’s Buyout fund, Marc Magliacano has led some of the biggest and most notable investments in the fitness and wellness industry in recent years. Those blockbuster deals include the firm acquiring a majority stake in boutique fitness giant [solidcore] and a $200 million investment in fit tech giant EGYM, among others.

LinkedIn

McConnell Smith

partner, vmg partners

As part of VMG Partners’ leadership team, McConnell Smith is involved in the growth of some of the biggest brands across fitness, wellness, health and nutrition. VMG’s investments have included health-focused CPG and supplement brands like Ghost Nutrition, Quest Nutrition and Spindrift. The firm is also highly active in fitness, partnering with one of the leading Crunch Fitness franchisees and having served as a longtime owner of boutique fitness giant [solidcore]. 

LinkedIn

will ahmed

founder & ceo, whoop

Under Will Ahmed, WHOOP continues to stay on the cutting edge of human performance technology. This year, WHOOP launched its fifth-generation wearable, the WHOOP 5.0, which comes packed with longevity features including on-demand ECG, blood pressure insights and biological age measurements. In a bid to make fitness and health tracking truly mainstream, the company recently signed global soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo to a sponsorship deal as it expands into the Middle East and South Asia markets.

LinkedIn

Nerio Alessandri

founder, President & ceo, technogym

Since founding Technogym in 1983, Nerio Alessandri has built the Italian equipment and tech giant into one of the biggest brands in fitness and wellness. Under Alessandri, Technogym isn’t resting on its laurels. The company is investing in AI-powered equipment and software to create personalized fitness routines with an eye toward longevity and preventive health. Earlier this year, Technogym unveiled “Healthness,” a bold new vision for the convergence of fitness, health and lifestyle.

LinkedIn

tom hale

ceo, oura

As the CEO of Oura, Tom Hale has transformed the company’s flagship Oura Ring from a niche sleep tracker into a globally recognized personalized health coach. Over the last year, Oura launched the Oura Ring 4, its fourth-generation smart ring, and secured $200 million in Series D funding at a staggering $5.2 billion valuation.

LinkedIn

Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer

Co-founder & ceo, egym

Under Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer’s leadership, EGYM has become a global leader in fitness technology, equipment and, increasingly, corporate health. With a vision of shifting healthcare from repair to prevention, EGYM has built its Wellpass platform into a European juggernaut with plans to scale significantly in the U.S. In 2024, the company raised $200 million in a Series G funding round at a valuation of over $1 billion. 

LinkedIn

Edward Zouroudis

Co-founder & ceo, evolt

Under Edward Zouroudis as CEO, Evolt is leading a health tech revolution inside fitness and wellness facilities across the world. The Australian company, known for its advanced body-scanning technology, surpassed 3.5 million users in FY 24, conducting over 8.5 million body scans globally. Evolt’s footprint now spans 51 countries with more than 6,500 Evolt 360 machines placed inside fitness facilities, wellness centers, corporate environments and hotels.

LinkedIn

Erwin Korst

Senior vp/global enterprise sales, sport alliance

Erwin Korst is a touted sales expert and management consultant veteran. Now at Germany-based fitness tech solutions provider Sport Alliance, he’s added to his already sizable resume by helping the brand expand globally and secure a $100 million investment from PSG Equity to enhance its flagship product, PerfectGym Next.

LinkedIn

Andy Peat

ceo, fitness on demand

At the helm of Fitness On Demand, Andy Peat empowers gym owners to activate every screen, enhance member engagement and unlock new revenue streams. With demand for wellness offerings surging over the past year, Peat heard and delivered, developing the brand’s Recovery Station. He also helped secure the largest deal in brand history, currently driving 33% year-over-year growth.

LinkedIn

Justin Santamaria

CO-founder & chief technology officer, future

As the co-founder and CTO of AI-powered fitness coaching platform Future, Justin Santamaria facilitates personalized, elite training at scale. He recently led Future to invest further in its product and engineering teams, making it possible for the brand to deploy new AI-driven tools, improve response times and deepen personalization – harnessing technology to polish human performance.

LinkedIn

Jeff VanDixhorn

ceo, daxko

Under Jeff VanDixhorn’s leadership, Daxko supports over 25 million individuals through nonprofits, clubs and studios. Working to deploy faster payments, more flexible memberships, stronger engagement tools and a partner ecosystem that gives organizations optionality, VanDixhorn helps clients future-proof their operations and deepen their impact.

LinkedIn

Jeff Yasuda

ceo, feed.fm

At the helm of Feed.fm, which allows businesses to legally integrate music into their digital products, Jeff Yasuda is the fitness industry’s DJ. This year, he spearheaded the creation of Feed Originals, the brand’s science-backed music label, working with scientists and legendary musicians alike to spur additional engagement and retention.

LinkedIn

Robbie Bent

co-founder & ceo, othership

Robbie Bent continues to grow Othership, the first immersive sauna and ice bath space in North America focused on emotional wellness and healthy social experiences. The brand also launched the highest-rated breathwork app in the world, establishing itself and Bent as a major wellness innovator.

LinkedIn

Bill Bourque

Chief Operations officer, exos

Bill Bourque has his hands on several booming sectors of the fitness industry as the lead man for Exos, the human performance brand that combines fitness, nutrition, recovery and mindset coaching. This past year, he’s made the latter a priority within his own organization, implementing a new code of conduct to combat burnout. It’s already led to a 211% year-over-year increase in the sales pipeline from July to December.

LinkedIn

Ryan Chen

Co-founder & chief financial officer, neuro gum

Ryan Chen helps countless individuals chow down on wellness with his gum designed to enhance cognitive performance through a blend of nootropic ingredients. Working with creators, musicians and athletes, Chen and Neuro Gum continue to reimagine energy and focus products through accessible, science-driven innovation.

LinkedIn

Eric Litman

founder & ceo, Aescape

Having established the world’s first fully automated, AI-powered massage platform, Eric Litman and Aescape continue to push the boundaries of an already expanding wellness sector. He brought the massage innovation to select Equinox locations last year, since expanding to more clubs. Litman and Aescape continue to redefine how recovery is delivered in fitness, hospitality and beyond.

LinkedIn

paul lunter

founder & ceo, Wellnessspace Brands

As wellness has gone from an add-on to a true focal point in the fitness sector, Paul Lunter has grown WellnessSpace Brands into an industry pillar. Behind Lunter’s support, the brand evolved from a single-product solution into a global manufacturer offering an entire suite of wellness products, including two new groundbreaking ones – a dry cold plunge machine and a red light-equipped infrared sauna.

LinkedIn

Robert Fried

ceo, Niagen Bioscience

Robert Fried has solidified Niagen Bioscience’s position as a pioneer in healthy aging and NAD+ science. The brand recently introduced Niagen Plus, making advanced NAD+ boosting treatments available in nearly 600 clinics across the United States. 

LinkedIn

Andrea Nakayama

Founder & general manager, Functional Nutrition Alliance (FxNA)

The founder of Functional Nutrition Alliance and creator of the “Full Body Systems” training program, Andrea Nakayama helped set the educational foundation for modern nutrition. This past year, she led an overhaul of the Full Body Systems’ curriculum to better reflect the latest nutrition science, promote cultural competency and make intel more accessible. 

LinkedIn

Dr. Darshan Shah

founder & ceo, Next Health

Dr. Darshan Shah is a health and wellness specialist, board-certified surgeon, published author and the founder of Next Health, the world’s largest health optimization and longevity clinic. Advising thousands of patients on how to optimize their well-being and extend their lifespan, Dr. Shah is a top educator, influencer and entrepreneur within the industry.  

LinkedIn

Jonathan Swerdlin

co-founder & ceo, Function Health

Jonathan Swerdlin leads the charge for Function Health, a platform offering access to over 160 advanced lab tests that analyze heart health, hormones, toxins, autoimmunity, nutrients and more while also facilitating full-body scans. Under Swerdlin’s leadership, Function Health recently acquired Ezra, a body-scanning tech brand, and secured a $53 million Series A funding round.

LinkedIn

Brian Killingsworth

chief marketing officer, Functional Inspired Training (FIT)

One of the hardest working execs in fitness, Brian Killingsworth leads global marketing, content, partnerships, digital, social, PR and communications for all three brands under the FIT portfolio – F45 Training, FS8 and Vaura Pilates. All three brands experienced record performance in 2024 thanks in large part to Killingsworth, who helped secure F45’s naming-rights deal with HYROX, among other big-time partnerships. 

LinkedIn

Rose Minar

Chief marketing & Experience officer, snap fitness/Lift Brands

As the Chief Marketing and Experience Officer for Snap Fitness, Rose Minar is a driving force behind the brand’s evolution as a major player in the global fitness franchising market. With a background in hospitality, Minar has revolutionized Snap’s approach, including spearheading a bold brand transformation, integrating AI-driven technology and leading partnerships with world-class brands. 

LinkedIn

Carolina Moraes

Chief marketing officer, zumba

Under the guidance of CMO Carolina Moraes, Zumba achieved something most fitness brands can only dream of: a truly viral ad campaign. Moraes led Zumba’s popular “Say It. Believe It.” New Year’s campaign, which was headlined by LMFAO frontman Redfoo and featured the group’s hit song, “Sexy and I Know It.” The lighthearted, uplifting campaign has garnered over 20 million views and counting, 400 million+ media impressions and led to a 400% increase in searches for live Zumba classes, an impressive return on investment, especially considering Zumba didn’t spend a single dollar on advertising.

LinkedIn

Shilpi Sullivan

Chief marketing officer, eos Fitness

In just the past 12 months, Shilipi Sullivan has transformed EōS Fitness into a storytelling powerhouse. The architect behind EōS’ “Will Power” mascot campaign, Sullivan brought humor, humanity and excitement to an industry that often plays it safe. In the process, she’s helped unify more than 115 EōS gyms under a single rallying cry, resulting in multiple marketing awards, a 70% increase in branded content views and social media interactions, and over 1.2 billion media impressions.

LinkedIn

Chad Waetzig

Chief marketing officer, crunch fitness

Under Chad Waetzig, Crunch Fitness has earned a reputation for using offbeat, wacky humor in its ad campings – to great effect. The fast-growing HVLP gym brand recently opened its 500th gym and topped three million members. In 2025, Waetzig continued that tradition with a cinematic ad campaign, “Feel Good Here,” a clown-filled spot that built off the success of Crunch’s original “Feel Good, Not Bad” campaign that launched in late 2023. 

LinkedIn

Kevin Custer

Chief content officer, echelon

As Chief Content Officer, Kevin Custer oversees global content production at Echelon, making him the man behind a process that delivers over 300 live classes to fitness consumers weekly. His leadership has been instrumental in upgrading Echelon’s content ecosystem and operational efficiency.

LinkedIn

David Magida

Global head of training, hyrox

Creating and distributing fitness programming for HYROX, David Magida is at the core of one of the industry’s hottest brands. Since stepping into his Head of Training role just over a year ago, he’s helped the brand grow its HYROX 365 gym affiliate program from 1,800 gyms to over 8,000.

LinkedIn

Jake McLendon

vp/Group fitness, crunch fitness

Jake McLendon is a key contributor to one of the industry’s most popular HVLP gym brands with over 500 locations. McLendon plays a pivotal role in shaping Crunch Fitness’ industry-leading group exercise offerings, ensuring they align with the brand’s commitment to fun, inclusive and effective exercise. 

LinkedIn

Diana Archer Mills

head of creative, les mills

As Les Mills’ Head of Creative, Diana Archer Mills works with fitness professionals, exercise scientists and a global network of instructors to shape the music and moves featured in some of the world’s most popular workouts. She and her team delivered 364 million workouts this past year alone and pulled in participants from 100+ countries.

LinkedIn

Joy Prouty

director of education, zumba

An internationally renowned fitness instructor, trainer and educator, Joy Prouty has been in the fitness industry for an incredible 60 years. Two decades ago, Prouty created Zumba Gold, and she’s been with the iconic dance-fitness brand ever since, recently spearheading content for the new Zumba consumer app, the Zumba + Lift class, CIRCL Mobility (a yoga-inspired program), Zumba House Music training and more. 

LinkedIn

Molly Crimmins

VP/Partnerships & Communications, Sequel Brands

Experienced in leading brand partnership strategy, media relations, and franchise growth for Orangetheory Fitness and Xponential Fitness, Molly Crimmins is now the VP/Partnerships & Communications at one of the industry’s most exciting new companies — Sequel Brands. At Sequel, Crimmins holds a dual role overseeing strategic partnerships and communications across a portfolio of high-growth fitness and wellness concepts poised to shape the future of the industry.

LinkedIn

Danny Dulkin

vp/development, arch amenities group

Having executed more than 50 new development deals in the first half of 2025 and 80 going back the last 12 months, Danny Dulkin is one of the lead architects of the modern fitness and wellness industry. He just led Arch Amenities Group to triple-digit growth, with procurement volumes projecting over $20 million in 2025.

LinkedIn

Rachel Lea Fishman

co-founder & ceo, arketa

Rachel Lea Fishman has transformed how modern fitness businesses run by co-founding Arketa, an all-in-one platform that simplifies operations with scheduling, payment and marketing solutions. This year, Arketa raised $16 million in a Series A funding round, validating the platform’s ability to ease rather than complicate a fitness entrepreneur’s journey. Under Fishman’s watch, Arketa now serves thousands of businesses, from individual instructors to 10+ location studios.

LinkedIn

Ashley Marand Iwanicki

founder & ceo, the Collective studios

In just over three years, Ashley Marand Iwanicki grew The Collective Studios from a self-funded startup into a seven-figure, award-winning business with multiple locations. By establishing a welcoming culture and launching educational initiatives, The Collective Studios experienced a 90% increase in new clients year-over-year, drew a 150% boost in retention and forged a growing reputation as a brand that delivers elite training.

LinkedIn

Samantha Lane

regional director, east coast, club sports group

Samantha Lane has her finger on the pulse of the business of fitness franchising. At Club Sports Group, she currently oversees 30 studios between F45 Training, FS8 and Vaura Pilates, with an additional six set to open by the end of this year. Those locations include FS8’s top-performing site globally, located in Fairfield, Connecticut.

LinkedIn