management-team

Management Team

Craig Benson , Interim CEO

Craig Benson has served as Planet Fitness Interim Chief Executive Office since September 2023 and has served on the Planet Fitness Board of Directors since July 2017. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer at Soft Draw Investments, LLC. Benson has also been a franchisee of Dunkin' Donuts LLC for over 15 years with 147 stores. He previously served as the 79th Governor of the State of New Hampshire. During his tenure, the Cato Institute recognized Benson as the most effective new governor in the country, as well as the second most effective of all governors nationwide. In 1983, Benson co-founded Cabletron Systems, Inc., a leading provider of networking solutions. During Benson's 17-year tenure, he served in various roles as Cabletron's Chairman, CEO, COO and President, helping take the company from a garage start-up to a publicly traded company with 7,000 employees and annual sales exceeding $1.6 billion. He serves as the Vice Chairman of the Trustees of Babson College. He previously served as a Director of Sycamore Networks Inc. from October 2007 to April 2013. Benson graduated from Babson College with a degree in Finance and completed an MBA in Operations Management from Syracuse University. He also holds honorary degrees from Dartmouth College, Thomas Jefferson University, the University of New Hampshire and Grand Valley State University.
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Paul Barber , Chief Information Officer

Paul Barber joined Planet Fitness in October 2022 as the Company’s Chief Information Officer. In this role, he will lead the Company’s technology evolution and strategy, focused on delivering technology solutions that will continue to enhance the member experience while optimizing infrastructure, data and operations for flexibility and scale. Mr. Barber has over 20 years of experience in leadership experience across a variety of industries, most recently serving as the Senior Vice President of Information Technology at United Natural Foods Inc. Previously, he was the Chief Technology Officer at Airline Report Corporation, where he modernized the technology needed to process billions of dollars in payments annually. While at Dunkin’ Brands, he helped lead the technology team that rolled out mobile ordering across 9,000 locations. At Yum! Brands, he supported the team tasked with transforming and modernizing technology and data systems both domestically for KFC and internationally in Australia for Pizza Hut. Mr. Barber holds a B.S. in Management Information Systems from Northwood University.

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Bill Bode , Division President, U.S. Franchise

Bill Bode serves as Division President, U.S. Franchise. In this role, he leads all aspects of our U.S. Franchise Division including leading the operations, development and construction, vendor management and local marketing execution teams. He joined Planet Fitness in 2016 as the Senior Vice President of Franchise Operations. Prior to joining Planet Fitness, Mr. Bode held several senior leadership positions at Dunkin' Brands, including serving as Regional Vice President of Dunkin' Donuts Northeast where he was responsible for overseeing the operations of more than 2,600 restaurants. Throughout his tenure at Dunkin’ Brands, Mr. Bode was also responsible for U.S brand compliance and business development along with leadership positions overseeing training, store development, marketing, and franchising. Prior to joining Dunkin' Brands, he was a Dunkin' Donuts franchisee in Richmond, VA.

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Tom Fitzgerald , Chief Financial Officer

Tom Fitzgerald joined Planet Fitness in 2020 as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. In this role, he is responsible for all aspects of financial strategy and management. Mr. Fitzgerald has over 30 years of leadership experience in financial management in the retail industry, most recently serving as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President at Potbelly Sandwich Works. Prior to Potbelly, he served in varying executive roles at Charming Charlie Inc. including President and Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Administrative Officer. Previously, Mr. Fitzgerald served as Chief Administrative Officer of Sears Canada. Additionally, he held several leadership positions at Liz Claiborne, was Chief Financial Officer at Burlington Coat Factory, and served as Chief Operating Officer of Bath & Body Works. Mr. Fitzgerald began his career at PepsiCo, where he held various leadership roles in finance and planning. Mr. Fitzgerald holds an MBA in Finance from Indiana University Kelley School of Business and received his Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Florida.

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Kathy Gentilozzi , Chief People Officer

Kathy Gentilozzi joined Planet Fitness in 2019 as the Company’s Chief People Officer. In this role, she oversees general HR operations, talent acquisition, leadership development, business partner support, culture and employee engagement, benefits and compensation. Ms. Gentilozzi has more than 30 years of Human Resources leadership experience at national retail brands, most recently serving as Executive Vice President of Human Resources at FULLBEAUTY Brands where she led all HR initiatives to support 2,000 associates. Prior to that, Ms. Gentilozzi served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Aéropostale, supporting over 25,000 employees in 1,000 retail locations throughout the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. She also served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Macy’s Inc., and has held various leadership positions at The May Department Store Company, including corporate and division roles. Ms. Gentilozzi is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). She received her Bachelor’s degree from Eastern Connecticut State University.

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Sherrill Kaplan , Chief Digital Officer

Sherrill Kaplan joined Planet Fitness in June 2021 as Chief Digital Officer. In this role, she is responsible for driving our digital vision and strategy, including leading the continuous enhancement of our mobile app, with a focus on consumer engagement, loyalty and a differentiated omni-channel experience to accelerate Planet Fitness’ growth and success. Ms. Kaplan has over 20 years of experience, most recently serving as Global Marketing Operations Advisor for Advent International, a global private equity firm. Previously, she served as Head of Marketing and Sales for Zipcar, the world’s leading car-sharing network, where she was a key member of the executive leadership team responsible for demand and revenue generation and all marketing functions. Prior to that, she served as the Vice President of Digital Marketing & Innovation at Dunkin’ Brands where she was responsible for developing and marketing Dunkin’s digital platforms, including the DD Mobile app and the DD Perks loyalty program. Earlier in her career, Ms. Kaplan held several digital and marketing leadership roles at global brands including American Express and Citi, Inc. She serves as an independent member of the Fiesta Restaurant Group Board of Directors, as well as the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX). Ms. Kaplan holds a B.S. from Boston University and an M.B.A. from the University of Denver, Daniels College of Business.

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Jamie Medeiros , Chief Brand Officer

Jamie Medeiros joined Planet Fitness in 2000, where she worked at the front desk in the Company’s third location before transitioning to the Planet Fitness corporate marketing team. In her role as Chief Brand Officer, she is responsible for leading Planet Fitness’ brand strategy and working collaboratively with agencies and across the organization to ensure the brand vision comes to life through national and local marketing strategy, creative, brand marketing sponsorships and activations, and social media. Throughout her tenure, she has held roles of increasing responsibility, with her most recent position being Vice President of National Marketing. Ms. Medeiros has been instrumental in developing and refining Planet Fitness’ marketing strategy and differentiated ‘Judgement Free’ positioning in the fitness industry. She played a pivotal role in creating breakthrough nation marketing campaigns that have built the brand over the past two decades, including iconic advertising campaigns like ‘Lift Things’ and ‘No Gymtimidation,’ along with pillar marketing sponsorships like the brand’s New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square. Ms. Medeiros received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire.

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Jennifer Simmons , Division President, Corporate Clubs

Jennifer Simmons joined Planet Fitness in 2013 as a business analyst, later joining the executive leadership team as Senior Vice President of Business Strategy and Analytics and in 2022 was named Division President, Corporate Clubs. In her role as Division President, Corporate Clubs, Ms. Simmons will be responsible for leading the Company's Corporate Club portfolio – including driving overall performance, leading and developing the team, and identifying strategic growth and expansion opportunities of the brand's corporate store fleet, which consists of more than 200 locations across 14 states and Canada. Throughout her tenure with Planet Fitness, Ms. Simmons built the Business Strategy and Analytics functions from the ground up, leveraging data, analytics and insights to develop and drive Planet Fitness’ overarching corporate strategy, propel the business forward, and reinforce the brand’s industry leadership position. As a result, she has played an instrumental role in the major strategic decisions made by the Company. Prior to joining Planet Fitness, Ms. Simmons worked in Finance and Business Planning roles for Timberland, PepsiCo, and Fisher Scientific International. Ms. Simmons has an MBA in Finance from the University of New Hampshire and holds dual Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Sociology from Indiana University.

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McCall Gosselin , SVP COMMUNICATIONS AND SOCIAL IMPACT

McCall Gosselin joined Planet Fitness in January 2013 and currently serves as SVP of Communications and Social Impact. In this role, she is responsible for all aspects of the company’s internal and external communications, including public relations, crisis management, executive communications, philanthropy, community relations and sustainability. Prior to Planet Fitness, Ms. Gosselin worked at Dunkin’ Brands on the global public relations team. Prior to Dunkin’, she worked at various communications agencies in both Boston and Washington, DC on behalf of various leading retail brands. Ms. Gosselin was named a Top Woman in PR by PR News in 2020. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Public Communications from American University in Washington, DC, and served on the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Manchester, NH.

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Brian O’Donnell , VP, Chief Accounting Officer

Brian O’Donnell joined Planet Fitness in February 2016 and currently serves as VP, Chief Accounting Officer. In this role, he oversees the Company’s accounting and treasury functions. Mr. O’Donnell has nearly 20 years of experience in a variety of finance and accounting roles. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. O’Donnell most recently served as Vice President of Finance and Chief Accounting Officer at Sonus Networks. Prior to Sonus, he worked for more than 10 years in public accounting with both Deloitte and Touche and Arthur Andersen. Mr. O’Donnell holds a CPA and received his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Assumption College in Massachusetts.

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Justin Vartanian , General Counsel and SVP, International Division

Justin Vartanian serves as General Counsel and SVP, International Division overseeing all legal matters and international development. He joined the Company as General Counsel in 2014 and played a critical role in the Company’s initial public offering in August of 2015, and has since overseen all public company, corporate governance and franchising matters as a key member of the company’s leadership team. Prior to joining Planet Fitness, Mr. Vartanian was a corporate attorney at Devine Millimet. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors of the NH/VT/ME Region of the American Red Cross and the Business & Industry Association of New Hampshire.