Australasian Leisure Management
May 30, 2022

BFT name David Aitchison as APAC Chief Executive

Fast growing fitness franchise, Body Fit Training (BFT) has announced the appointment of David Aitchison as Chief Executive of its operations for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

Aimed at driving BFT’s growth in the APAC region, BFT co-Chief Executive Cam Falloon stated today that he expects Aitchison to bring a focused and fresh lens to BFT, embedding, enhancing and developing the existing business.

Falloon advised “it is with great pleasure and excitement that we announce the appointment of David Aitchison as CEO of BFT APAC.

“David will be tasked with overseeing the continued growth and development of the brand throughout the APAC region. The appointment is a significant one and allows myself and Rich to focus on growing the brand in international markets, in particular through the UK and Europe where there is a lot of positive interest in BFT.”

Under the purposeful direction of Falloon and fellow co-Chief Executive Richard Burnet, BFT has had incredible growth and success since the brands inception. Across the past 4+ years, the brand has hit significant milestones including the sale of 300 franchises, opening 192 studios, launching a world first bespoke heart rate system and winning 2021 APAC Franchise of the Year.

They also famously secured a $60 million cash up-front deal with Xponential Fitness to launch into the US and Canada in October 2021.

Aitchison’s appointment to the Chief Executive role allows Falloon and Burnet to shift their attention and focus on new market growth, with Falloon noting "this appointment is something Richard and I have talked about for some time now and with strong interest internationally, the timing couldn't be better.

“Having someone of David's industry experience, and more importantly quality as a person, join the executive team, gives us great confidence that the APAC region will continue to prosper and frees us up to continue on our mission to grow BFT globally. It is a really exciting time for the brand and we are looking forward to accelerating our growth after a tough 2 years for the industry.”

Aitchison has more than 25 years experience in the fitness industry - including over 18 years in senior and executive management positions.

In September 2021, he was appointed the role of General Manager Club Operations of both Fitness First and Goodlife - and during his time with those brands he successfully managed the businesses through the Covid world of club Management.

Looking forward to his new role, Aitchison (pictured) noted "I’m thrilled to be a part of such an innovative and disruptive brand.

“I’ve watched the success of BFT over the past few years and it’s a brand that is going places, and that people want in on - including myself. My first priority is to immerse myself in the BFT culture, working closely with Cam and Rich to continue to innovate and deliver an industry leading, global product with the best communities.”

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