The new executives will continue the franchisor’s ongoing development and growth.
Lift Brands, the parent company of Snap Fitness, YogaFit, and Fitness On Demand, as well as a minority partner for boutique boxing concept 9Round, has announced a refresh of its C-suite executives to lead the organization’s #OneTeam initiative.
The new executives will report to Ty Menzies, who was named global CEO in June 2020.
“#OneTeam means that we support each other as a family of team members and franchisee owners. We elevated this by putting people in leadership positions that live our values,” said Menzies.
“We are indeed #OneTeam as we look ahead with new leaders and a new vision for Lift Brands. There’s a lot of excitement around an invigorated direction for our company, and this fine group of leaders will no doubt be an integral part of our growth.”
Alison McElroy was named president of international last August, to lead executive teams globally. This is in addition to her chief legal officer duties. She has been with Lift Brands since 2009, previously serving as chief global development officer and senior vice president of strategic relationships and general counsel.
Paul Early has joined Lift Brands as the organization’s chief financial officer, having most recently worked as Gold’s Gym’s chief administration officer. He has also spent time at Bread Zeppelin Salads Elevated, TGI Friday’s, and Carlson Companies.
Chief marketing officer Rose Minar joins Lift Brands following a successful career in hospitality, most recently with the Radisson Hotel Group and Carlson. At Lift Brands, Minar will lead strategic brand and marketing initiatives including a global Snap Fitness brand re-positioning.
Andy Peat, chief product officer, has been with Lift Brands and Snap Fitness his entire career. He previously served as director of Snap Fitness clubs and chief executive officer in Australia and New Zealand. In his new role, Peat oversees all member-facing products, partnerships, and overall look and feel of clubs around the world.
Rounding out the executive team is chief technology officer Rob Mendel, who has served in his role since 2018 and oversees all systems and IT operations. Vice president Uday Anumalachetty leads Fitness on Demand that promotes virtual fitness programs and offerings.
With increased focus on international expansion, Chris Caldwell takes over as APAC CEO based in Brisbane, and Jon Cottam is named EMEA CEO out of London following the re-acquisition of its Snap Fitness UK and Ireland area developer. Both will oversee operations for Snap Fitness and 9Round in their regions.
For the next several years, much of Lift Brands’ strategic plan revolves around its commitment to infrastructure development, club growth and redesign, product and technology offerings, and franchise support.
As such, the organization has created a team of 10 Snap Fitness Franchise Business Coaches (FBC) in the U.S. and Canada that oversee regions of club managers and franchisee owners. Coaches use their knowledge of fitness operations and staff resources to counsel and advise franchisee owners to improve their membership sales and grow their businesses.
“The FBC team is created out of a need to offer consistent, ongoing support to the people who make our business run – our franchise owners,” said Brian Tietz, vice president of brand support for Lift Brands. “Several coaches have owned or currently own clubs themselves and know what it takes to succeed. They’re up to speed on industry trends, have served in the industry for years, and act as tremendous mentors for owners who want to grow their business and retain their members. We’re excited to see this team do great things.”
