GHFA Advisory Council Adds McCall Gosselin of Planet Fitness

The Global Health & Fitness Alliance (GHFA), under the leadership of Chair Andrea Bell and Vice Chair Richard Beddie, is pleased to announce the appointment of McCall Gosselin, senior vice president of communications & corporate responsibility at Planet Fitness, to its Advisory Council. McCall replaces Anna Henwood, former chief marketing officer of Les Mills International (LMI).

Along with welcoming McCall, the GHFA wants to thank Anna for her service. While Anna has since left for a position outside of the industry, she completed important work for the GHFA from day one. As well as being a significant contributor to the GHFA communications efforts, she was instrumental in securing the support of LMI in carrying out the first stage of efficacy research for the GHFA.

The addition of a key Planet Fitness executive to the GHFA Advisory Council underscores how the industry’s largest global chains are utilizing important resources to help the GHFA establish the health and fitness industry as a key contributor within the healthcare continuum. The Boston-based McCall began her term on July 1, 2022.

Fitness Industry Aims to Gain Global Influence

The appointment of McCall to the GHFA Advisory Council is another sign that all industry stakeholders are recognizing the importance of advocacy on a global scale. It shows that the industry is more united and determined than ever to be an authoritative voice.

Planet Fitness is an influential international brand that has created innovative marketing campaigns that counter myths about gym culture while emphasizing the daily rewards of exercise. The company has also developed initiatives to increase inclusivity in an effort to increase physical activity among all populations.

McCall is a driving force behind many of Planet Fitness’s achievements. She was also a significant contributor to IHRSA’s headlight team that developed the ReConnect campaign, which focused on behavioral design and changing the industry’s messaging to focus on EROI (emotional return on investment). McCall’s skills in communications and marketing will be extremely valuable to the GHFA as it continues to promote physical activity worldwide.

The GHFA’s new leadership and the addition of McCall will help the organization maximize the impact of the recent release of the Economic Health & Societal Well-being: Quantifying the Impact of the Global Health & Fitness Sector report, commissioned by IHRSA and the GHFA and produced by Deloitte. The report gives the GHFA and the wider global fitness industry an important tool to educate and influence policymakers and business leaders around the world.

As a historically supportive member of IHRSA, we also now welcome Crunch’s Chief of Staff Alexis Stuts to support the GHFA in global advocacy as Crunch expands internationally.

Crunch Fitness started as one small gym in a basement studio in New York City’s Greenwich Village in 1989 as a welcoming place for a diverse group of people to get fit. Crunch ethos is about fusing fitness and entertainment so that they can make serious exercise fun. The GHFA looks forward to working with Alexis and Crunch in future initiatives to address inactivity, mark the industry as essential, and more.

About the GHFA

The Global Health & Fitness Alliance (GHFA) was founded by IHRSA in November 2020, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, with a mission of repositioning the health and fitness sector in the eyes of global governments and health bodies, definitively confirming it as an essential and vital service and a key contributor in the preventative healthcare continuum.

The GHFA is a proactive, globally representative alliance that brings together CEOs, C-suite industry stakeholders, and influencers from across the health and fitness sector.

The Alliance represents the entire global health and fitness club industry while funding research and advocacy to ensure the sector’s essential role is first recognized and then realized, working as a team and in cooperation with the relevant authorities.

The GHFA is led and operated by IHRSA and supported by organizations worldwide—ICREPS, national industry associations, club companies, and suppliers—but operates as a fully inclusive alliance open to all who meet the criteria. All applications are reviewed to ensure global representation, thought leadership, and authority move at pace.

For more information, please email kfisher@ihrsa.org.