Planet Fitness, Inc. announced it has appointed Chip Ohlsson as chief development officer, effective January 20, 2025, and Brian Povinelli as chief marketing officer, effective February 10, 2025. Ohlsson and Povinelli will report directly to Colleen Keating, the CEO.
Ohlsson is an accomplished development executive with three decades of experience in the hospitality industry. He joins Planet Fitness from Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, where he most recently served as EVP and chief development officer, leading the development of the company’s 24 hotel brands across North America. Ohlsson has a proven track-record of building strong relationships with franchisees and driving strategic partnerships and innovative programs. In addition to his extensive hospitality industry experience, he’s also a former franchisee of a leading worldwide fast casual restaurant brand, providing him with valuable insights and perspectives to support franchisees.
Povinelli is a seasoned marketing executive with more than 30 years of experience at renowned hospitality and apparel brands, in addition to agency experience. He joins Planet Fitness from Marriott International where he most recently served as global head of marketing and brand, leading the company’s overall go-to-market strategy and oversaw end-to-end customer experience for over 25 brands in Marriott’s portfolio. Povinelli has extensive experience in leveraging data and insights to drive strategy and execution while partnering with franchisees to support systemwide revenue growth.
“I look forward to welcoming Chip and Brian, two highly experienced executives, to our leadership team,” said Keating. “Chip and Brian are both veterans in their fields with impressive track records of leading consumer-facing brands through periods of expansion while collaborating with franchisees to drive profitable growth. Their collective skills and expertise will be critical as we continue to execute our strategic imperatives, including accelerating club openings, redefining our brand strategy and pulling it through our marketing to leverage our size, scale and industry leadership.”
“I’m thrilled to be joining the Planet Fitness team at this exciting time for the company,” said Ohlsson. “Planet Fitness has tremendous opportunities for growth both domestically and in strategic international markets. I look forward to working with Colleen, the rest of the team, and franchisees, to harness the company’s current momentum and further scale its global presence.”
“Planet Fitness is an iconic and differentiated brand with broad demographic appeal,” added Povinelli. “I look forward to joining the company at this pivotal moment for the brand and am excited to work with the team to strengthen the brand’s leadership position and expand access to fitness and wellness for all.”
About Chip Ohlsson
Ohlsson is an accomplished development executive with extensive experience in the hospitality industry, specializing in launching hotel brands and accelerating growth. He most recently served as EVP and chief development officer at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from 2015 to 2024, leading the development of 24 hotel brands across North America. During his tenure, he achieved 16 consecutive quarters of growth, restructured sales teams, strengthened relationships with key ownership groups and managed a $29 million annual budget. From 2006 to 2015, he served as VP at Starwood Hotels and Resorts where he oversaw the development of hotel brands across the U.S. and Canada. He successfully launched the aloft and Element brands, which became industry leaders, and revitalized the Four Points by Sheraton brand, contributing to the company exceeding its annual growth targets. Earlier in his career, he held roles of increasing responsibility at Cendant Corporation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from William Paterson College.
About Brian Povinelli
Povinelli is a proven brand marketer and executive leader with a career spanning the largest hospitality brands in the world, apparel brands and marketing agencies. He most recently served as global head of marketing and brand of Marriott International where he was responsible for many of the company’s marketing functions, including marketing partnerships, demand generation in the U.S. and Canada markets, loyalty marketing, portfolio marketing/strategy, and brand marketing for over 25 brands. At Marriott, he frequently interacted with Marriott’s franchisees and managed a marketing budget of over $1 billion. Prior to this position, Povinelli served as Marriott’s SVP, global brand, loyalty and portfolio marketing from 2020 to 2023 and as SVP, global brand leader for Westin, Le Meridien, Renaissance, Autograph Collection, Tribute Portfolio & Design Hotels from 2016 to 2020. Prior to its acquisition by Marriott, Povinelli held roles of increasing responsibility at Starwood Hotels where he helped grow the Westin, Sheraton and Le Meridien brands. He served in advertising and marketing roles at Reebok International from 1999 to 2006. He began his career at Doner Advertising. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from James Madison University.
