Health and Fitness Association names New Board Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer

The USA-based Health & Fitness Association - formerly known as the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) - has advised of the appointment of Chris Smith as Chair, Luke Carlson as Vice Chair and Al Noshirvani as Treasurer.

Smith, the President and Chief Executive of Fitness World Canada, has served on the Health & Fitness Association board for four years, the last year as Vice Chair.

His career in fitness began as a personal trainer 25 years ago, since which he has served in various roles at 24 Hour Fitness, Bally Total Fitness, and Steve Nash Fitness World, which he joined in 2011 as Vice President of Sales and Fitness before becoming Chief Operating Officer and then Chief Executive in 2014.

He later became an owner and rebranded the business as Fitness World Canada. Smith is also the principal of All Things Fitness and Wellness, a media brand covering the fitness industry, and is founder and Chief Executive of the British Columbia Personal Training Institute.

Carlson is the founder and Chief Executive of Discover Strength, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Carlson speaks around the world on leadership, management, and evidence-based exercise and is a top-rated Vistage speaker in North America. He has co-authored two books and several articles on resistance training which have been published in scientific journals.

Noshirvani joined the Health & Fitness Association board two years ago. He owns Fitness Club Management Inc. in Rockville, Maryland, USA and co-founded Alta Technology Group, a boutique management consulting firm. He also is managing director of Integrity Square, a financial advisory and early stage growth equity firm focused on the health, active lifestyle, and outdoors sector.

Prior to his current work, Noshirvani co-founded Motionsoft, a software and financial service company serving the fitness industry. He is a member of Big Brothers Big Sisters, the National Iranian American Council, and chair of the Georgetown Day School Hopper Fund.

In addition to the election of these officers, five new board members who were elected at its March meeting have joined the Health & Fitness Association board of directors:

• Ahmar Azam, founder and Chief Executive of TriFit

• Deborah Fiorella, Chief Technology and Digital Officer at 24 Hour Fitness

• Richard Idgar, Chief Operating Officer of EoS Fitness

• Mel Kleist, Chief Executive of East Bank Club

• Matthew Stevens, President and Chief Executive of The Bay Club Company

Click here for more information on the Health & Fitness Association.