Xponential Fitness, Inc. hired Mark King, the former president of Adidas North America, as its new CEO.

King will also join the company’s Board of Directors. At that time, Brenda Morris will cease serving as Interim CEO but will continue to serve as a member of the company’s Board of Directors.

Most recently, as CEO of Taco Bell from 2019 until 2023, King reportedly led the franchisor to positive same-store sales growth in each quarter but one under his leadership while also opening over 1,400 new franchises. He was also integral to accelerating Taco Bell’s international growth and is credited with establishing a “healthy domestic franchise system.”

Before Taco Bell, King was the president of Adidas North America, where he “doubled market share and tripled sales in four years.” Before Adidas, King built a career at TaylorMade, rising from a territory sales rep to CEO over a 34-year career with the brand.

King is currently on the Board of Directors for Party City.

“The Board is confident that Mark’s extensive track record growing global brands and strengthening franchise systems will enable Xponential to expand its global leadership position in Health & Wellness,” said Mark Grabowski, chairman of Xponential Fitness. “Mark is a brand builder and innovator and his approach to fostering customer-centric cultures and supporting franchisee success is a perfect fit for the company. I look forward to working with him to deliver long-term value for our stakeholders.”

“I am honored to become CEO of Xponential Fitness and am excited to begin working with this world-class team of employees and franchisees as we continue the company’s mission to make health and wellness accessible to everyone,” said King. “We have a strong portfolio of brands that are category leaders and as one of the leading franchisors in the Health & Wellness space, we are ideally positioned to continue to profitably grow our global footprint. I look forward to getting to know the Xponential team and franchisees over the coming months and driving value for our employees, franchisees and shareholders.”

Xponential Fitness’ portfolio includes Club Pilates, CycleBar, StretchLab, AKT, YogaSix, Pure Barre, Rumble, BFT, and Lindora.