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Equinox’s CEO Departs Fitness Group After Less Than a Year and a Half

Equinox’s CEO Departs Fitness Group After Less Than a Year and a Half

(Bloomberg) -- Equinox Fitness Clubs’ Chief Executive Officer Niki Leondakis has departed the company after less than a year and a half in the role.

An external spokeswoman for Equinox confirmed that Leondakis’s last day was July 6. She joined the company as CEO in April 2017 from Two Roads Hospitality, where she’d previously served as CEO of hotels and resorts.

“Moving forward, Equinox will operate under an Office of the CEO, comprised of Scott Rosen as president, Judy Turchin as chief operating officer, and Harvey Spevak, who will continue in his role as executive chairman and managing partner,” the spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. “We appreciate Niki Leondakis’ hard work and her contributions to Equinox.”

The spokeswoman declined to comment on the reason behind the departure. Leondakis didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Equinox operates about 90 high-end fitness clubs in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Miami and London, which feature athletic offerings like personal training as well as lifestyle elements like branded apparel and juice bars. It’s also been planning an expansion into hotels, expected to launch next year.

Leondakis had previously spent more than 30 years in the hospitality industry, including about 20 years with boutique chain Kimpton Hotels, where she held the role of president and chief operating officer. In 2012, she became CEO of Commune Hotels, which later became Two Roads Hospitality through a merger.

In her role at Equinox, Leondakis oversaw all aspects of the fitness club, headed the executive leadership team and reported into Spevak. She was tasked with working on executing the company’s brand vision and capitalizing on expansion opportunities.

“We are highly focused on our rapid pace of growth and ambitious vision for global expansion,” the company spokeswoman said Wednesday following Leondakis’s departure.

To contact the reporter on this story: Hema Parmar in New York at hparmar6@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anne Riley Moffat at ariley17@bloomberg.net, Lisa Wolfson

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