Planet Fitness Inc. on Tuesday announced that Tom Fitzgerald has been appointed chief financial officer.
Officially joining the company in early January, Fitzgerald will be responsible for all aspects of financial strategy and management. He will report directly to Chris Rondeau, CEO of Planet Fitness.
Fitzgerald will succeed Dorvin Lively who has served as Planet Fitness’ CFO since July 2013, and was promoted to CFO and president in April 2017.
In his continuing role as president of Planet Fitness, Lively will remain focused on store development assisting franchisees both domestically and internationally, as well as the company’s corporate store portfolio. Additionally, Lively will continue to provide leadership for the technology team.
Prior to joining Planet Fitness, Fitzgerald was CFO and SVP at Potbelly Sandwich Works. Prior to Potbelly, he served in varying leadership roles at Charming Charlie Inc. including president and CFO, and chief administrative officer.
Previously, Fitzgerald served as chief administrative officer of Sears Canada. Additionally, he held several leadership positions at Liz Claiborne, was CFO at Burlington Coat Factory, and served as COO of Bath & Body Works. Fitzgerald began his career at PepsiCo, where he held various leadership roles in finance and planning.
“I am pleased to welcome Tom, who brings over 30 years of extensive leadership experience in financial management in the retail industry, both domestically and internationally, to Planet Fitness,” said Rondeau. “He has a terrific track record of building high performing teams and leading multi-unit consumer-facing companies, and his skill set, strong financial expertise and impressive accomplishments will further strengthen our management team, as we continue to execute against our strategic growth initiatives and long-term vision for the business.”
Rondeau continued, “I am confident in our existing finance team and that Dorvin and Tom can transition the primary leadership of this function, and that our track record of delivering strong results and exceptional shareholder returns will continue. This transition in our management team will allow Dorvin to assist me in focusing on supporting our strong base of franchisees and continuing to drive strong results.
“I echo Chris’ sentiments that Tom’s expertise and deep experience will be a valuable asset in leading our finance team. I will be working closely together with Tom and Chris in my current role as President, as we continue to execute our expansion plans, enhance the member experience and drive sustained, profitable growth,” said Lively.
“I am thrilled to join the Planet Fitness management team at such an exciting time for the business,” said Fitzgerald. “I look forward to working together with Chris and Dorvin, as well as the talented finance team to continue to create value for Planet Fitness franchisees, partners, and investors over the long term and for the fantastic opportunities we have before us.”
