Stuart Broster has been appointed Fitness'>Anytime Fitness UK chief executive - a newly created role in which he is charged with making the brand the largest health club provider in the country.

With more than 40 years’ experience in the hospitality and health and fitness industries, Broster joins Anytime Fitness after a stint of managing his own company, a hotel management firm.

Before this, Broster was chief executive at LA Fitness where he helped grow the group to more than 100 clubs.

Broster has also worked as president and vice president of operations, sales and marketing for Hilton. From 1997 to 2001 he was managing director of LivingWell Health Clubs where he took the company from a turnover of £10m (US$12.4m, €10.9m) to £80m (US$102.6m, €87.3m) and saw it expand worldwide to more than 150 clubs.

He has also been chair of the Board of Government Fitness Industry Alliance, and a non-executive of FitPro and 3D Leisure.

“I am delighted to be joining Anytime Fitness at a time when the company has clearly established itself as the significant challenger brand in the health and fitness space,” Broster said. “The industry has experienced impressive growth over the last twelve month period, with increases of 4.6 per cent in the number of fitness facilities and 5.1 per cent in the number of members.”

Anytime Fitness opened its 100th UK club in January and plans to have 150 sites in the country by the end of the year.

Andy Thompson, Anytime Fitness UK chairman, added: “The experience Stuart brings with him to Anytime Fitness will help us to achieve our ambitious growth goals. He has a proven track record of managing businesses in the health and fitness space and we are pleased to welcome him to the Anytime Fitness team.”

The brand boasts more than 3,500 gyms serving nearly 3 million members worldwide.