The Health & Fitness Association (HFA) plans to recognize Bodytech Colombia Co-Founder and Executive Vice President, Gigliola Aycardi, with the Woman Leader Award in Honor of Julie Main; LifeFit Group CEO Martin Seibold with the John Holsinger Global Leader Award; and ACAC Fitness & Wellness Centers CEO Chris Craytor with the Jim Worthington Advocate of the Year Award.
The honors will be presented at The HFA Show 2026, taking place March 16–18 in San Diego, CA.
HFA said of Gigliola Aycardi, “In 1997, Aycardi co-founded Bodytech in Colombia alongside Nicolás Loaiza Aycardi, establishing a pioneering model that integrates fitness, medical services, nutrition counseling, and physiotherapy. The company’s mission centers on increasing longevity, reducing chronic disease and lowering healthcare costs. Today, the Bodytech Group also includes the Sportlife and Athletic brands.
“In 2016, Aycardi helped secure a major growth investment by private equity firm L Catterton. She and Loaiza have been part of Endeavor Colombia since 2007, joining a global network that supports high-impact entrepreneurship in emerging economies. In 2014, she and Loaiza were named Ernst & Young’s Colombia Entrepreneur of the Year, and the two were finalists for Ernst & Young’s World Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2015. Since 2018, she has served on the Board of Directors of EAN University, Colombia’s university for entrepreneurs.”
HFA said of Martin Seibold, “Martin Seibold is widely regarded as one of the fitness industry’s most effective brand builders. As CEO of LifeFit Group, he has overseen the significant expansion of the company’s portfolio, which includes Fitness First, ELBGYM, and Club Pilates and YogaSix studios in Germany and Austria through Xponential Fitness.
“Under Seibold’s leadership, LifeFit Group secured new private equity backing from Waterland Private Equity and, in early 2025, acquired FIT/One Group—expanding into Austria and accelerating progress toward its goal of operating more than 250 clubs by 2028, which would represent a nearly 400% increase from the 55 clubs the company operated when it was formed in 2019.”
HFA said of Chris Craytor, “A steadfast and visionary advocate for the fitness industry, Chris Craytor has been instrumental in helping transform the Health & Fitness Association into the advocacy force it is today. As an HFA board member during the pandemic and later as board chair from 2022 to 2024, Craytor championed a bold focus on public policy and industry representation at every level of government.
“He was pivotal in the creation of the National Health & Fitness Alliance (NHFA), which serves as HFA’s advocacy advisory council. His leadership helped unify operators and industry leaders around a coordinated policy agenda — strengthening the industry’s collective voice through HFA and securing a meaningful seat at the table in Washington, DC, and in state capitals across the country.
“He has been deeply engaged in advancing HFA’s federal and state priorities — advocating for expanding HSA and FSA coverage of physical activity, supporting efforts to broaden Medicare’s role in covering fitness and prevention services for aging Americans, and helping push back against harmful legislation in Virginia. Through direct engagement with lawmakers and regulators, Craytor has worked to ensure fitness is recognized not simply as recreation, but as an essential component of preventive health policy.”
Image courtesy LifeFit Group
