Self Esteem Brands (SEB), the parent company of a global portfolio of fitness, health and wellness franchise brands with more than 5,500 locations worldwide, has made two appointments to newly-created leadership roles.
Taka Suzuki was named regional vice president for Japan and the Asia-Pacific, while Jonathan Midttun joined SEB as the company’s international technology lead.
“Expanding our leadership team across global regions is the right move at the right time,” said Sander van den Born, executive vice president of International at SEB. “Our existing global footprint is incredibly strong, and these moves will ensure we continue to deliver operational excellence for existing master franchisees, scale our studio brands, and keep pace with consumer demands for more digitally-driven health and wellness experiences.”
Suzuki brings a wealth of consumer and digital marketing experience to the role to help lead the expansion of studio brands for SEB in the Asia-Pacific region. He will first help expand Fast Fitness Japan, SEB’s largest master franchisee operating more than 1,100 Anytime Fitness clubs, into the studio club space. He will also support efforts for master franchisees in the region to modernize operations and improve the engagement of members through the Anytime Fitness digital ecosystem. More broadly, Suzuki will work closely with van den Born and the SEB international leadership team to scale clubs and studios across the Asia-Pacific region. Suzuki spent over 17 years leading Subway and Pizza Hut franchises in Japan. He is based in Tokyo.
Midttun will work closely with the international system operations and software as a service (SaaS) at SEB, as well as key vendors, to implement and scale global technology solutions, platforms and initiatives to bridge each country’s individual needs, regulations and priorities. Midttun’s experience includes more than a decade in member management for the fitness industry, working in solution architect and product ambassador roles with brands and large fitness chains, including Virgin Active, Pure Gym, Fitness First, GoodLife Fitness, and Life Time. Most recently, Midttun was a partner at the software company Exerp. He will continue to work from Denmark.
