Life Fitness, the maker of commercial fitness equipment, tapped Jim Pisani as CEO effective immediately, with Paul Stoneham transitioning from a senior advisor to the company’s Board of Directors.
Most recently, Pisani, led the Outdoor & Recreation Business Segment of Newell Brands and formerly led Timberland. He joined Newell Brands in May 2020 as CEO of its Outdoor & Recreation Business Segment and led the expansion of Coleman, Marmot, Contigo, and Campingaz.
Before Newell, Pisani was the global president of Timberland from 2016 to 2020. Life Fitness said that as head of Timberland, Pisani “led sustainable, profitable growth within a brand portfolio that included Timberland, Timberland PRO, Kodiak, Terra, and Dickies.”
Pisani previously was the president of VF’s Licensed Sports Group, which includes Majestic Athletic. He oversaw the uniform and apparel licenses for Major League Baseball and the apparel licenses for the National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, and National Collegiate Athletic Association. He also executed growth strategies for consumer brands, including PepsiCo and Kraft.
“I am thrilled to be joining Life Fitness and am excited to partner with our team to execute on the company’s next phase of growth,” said Pisani. “We will continue to deliver on our industry-leading reputation for quality and innovation to provide exceptional products and excellent service levels to our customers.”
The company thanked departing CEO Paul Stoneham for his “important contributions” to Life Fitness during his tenure to “position the company for the next phase of growth.” Under Stoneham’s leadership, Life Fitness reported “double-digit revenue growth, driven by successful product innovation.”
Life Fitness’ brands include Life Fitness, Hammer Strength, Cybex, ICG, and SciFit. Life Fitness is a portfolio company of KPS Capital Partners, LP.
