Former Planet Fitness CEO, Chris Rondeau, is back in the fitness industry set to drive international expansion of Brazil’s largest gym franchisor, Panobianco Academia.

Rondeau has joined the company as a shareholder, board member, and strategic advisor and will actively support Panobianco’s expansion in Brazil, its entry into Mexico, and the professionalisation of its franchisee network.

Rondeau spent 30 years at Planet Fitness and was instrumental in its transition from a regional chain to a global powerhouse with more than 2,500 locations. He identifies Panobianco as the next major platform in the fitness industry.

"I see the same signals in Panobianco today that I saw in Planet Fitness in 2010, just before our explosive growth phase," he says. "They have cracked the code on high-value, low-price fitness in underserved markets. The model is highly profitable, the runway for growth in Brazil and Mexico is massive, and the brand democratises fitness for the 80 per cent of the population that traditional gyms ignore. This is an opportunity to help build another multi-billion-dollar legacy."

The chain is growing rapidly. More than 160 new locations have opened this year – double 2024 numbers – and the company will close the year with more than 400 operating units. There are ambitions for 600 locations by the end of 2026, including a robust pipeline for expansion into Mexico.

To move forward with its ambitious growth the company has pioneered a financing fund, with XP Investimentos, to provide franchisees with capital for equipment and new store setups. A strategic alliance with Wellhub provides franchisees with access to capital advances, significantly improving cash flow for expansion.

The company is formally establishing a board of directors and a franchisee council. By 2026, Panobianco will implement international-standard auditing and a unified ERP system, preparing the corporate structure for future liquidity events.

Mirroring the strategy Rondeau successfully deployed in the US, Panobianco is shifting its focus to cultivating multi-unit operators. The goal is to transform single-unit franchisees into sophisticated business groups capable of managing 10, 20, or 50+ locations.

"Chris’s arrival is a validation of our business model and a catalyst for our future," said Felipe Barth de Castro, CEO of Panobianco. "We are not just opening gyms; we are building a sophisticated, scalable corporation. With Chris’s mentorship, we are preparing our franchisees for a new era of professionalisation and equipping Panobianco with the governance and capital structure needed for a global footprint."

Rondeau was ousted from Planet Fitness in September 2023 and was restrained by confidentiality clauses and a non-compete agreement for two years. The company’s shares tumbled by 16 per cent on the news of his departure.

A passionate health and fitness advocate, Rondeau started work at the front desk of the gym and worked his way up to CEO. He previously spoke in HCM’s Life Lessons about how he had sometimes felt like the underdog because he took the “school of hard knocks route,” instead of getting an Ivy League degree. However, he said that having worked every job in the gym there wasn’t ever an investor or analyst question that he couldn’t answer off the tip of his tongue. 

Pre-COVID he used to work the front desk once a quarter so he could learn how to make the jobs easier for staff and the experience better for members.