Kevin Yates has been promoted to CEO at Lift Brands for the EMEA region.

Yates will be leading the team as it gears up for an ambitious international roll-out in the region, which covers 105 countries. “We're poised not merely to respond to market changes but also to be at the vanguard, forging new paths and enhancing the fitness experience,” he said.

Spain, Turkey, Georgia, The Netherlands, Belgium, Dubai and Saudi are all in their sights for growth.

Yates joined Lift Brands in September 2023 as chief operating officer, responsible for driving the operations of franchised fitness operator, Snap Fitness, in UK and Ireland. The 24/7 operator is currently the sixth largest fitness franchisor in the UK, with more than 100 gyms and has more than 1,000 clubs around the world. Yates said it expects to open around 25 locations in 2024 in the UK and Ireland, with wider EMEA region openings on top of that.

Yates says it's been an extraordinary learning experience working with group CEO, Ty Menzies. “His exemplary leadership has not only been brilliant, but also transformative, setting a high bar for us all,” he says. “Collaborating with our global executive team has been inspirational and a privilege. Their knowledge, expertise, and unwavering commitment to excellence have profoundly shaped my approach and perspective.”

As well as being the parent brand of Snap Fitness, Lift Brands also has FitnessOnDemand in its portfolio, which provides digital fitness to many industries, including health clubs and hotel chains and is trading well. It's also a minority partner in kickbox fitness concept, 9Round, as well as the Australian-born, Fit Stop, which offers a 45-minute functional training workout.

Before Lift Brands, Yates co-founded boutique, industrial-luxe, fitness franchise, TRIB3, in 2015, going on to open locations across Europe. After a difficult pandemic, the company closed its British head office in 2022 to focus on international growth, with Jonathan Fisher taking over the reins at the Barcelona headquarters. Yates stepped away from the business soon afterwards.

Previous to TRIB3, Yates was CEO at Be X Fitness and a director and investor at 1Rebel. He started his career with 1Life.