On Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, CrossFit announced in an email to affiliate owners that the General Manager (GM) of Affiliates, Gary Gaines, was no longer with them as of Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. Gaines’ departure is the fifth C-suite and Director level executive to either leave or have ties cut by the company during the calendar year.
Austin Malleolo To Replace Gary Gaines As CrossFit’s General Manager Of Affiliates
BarBend was able to confirm the contents of the email to affiliates with a statement from CrossFit:
Austin Malleolo To Replace Gary Gaines As CrossFit’s General Manager Of Affiliates
“We can confirm that Gary Gaines is no longer with CrossFit. Austin Malleolo will be our interim GM of Affiliates. This transition will ensure that our affiliates are equipped with the tools and support they need to continue uniting and growing the CrossFit community.”
Austin Malleolo To Replace Gary Gaines As CrossFit’s General Manager Of Affiliates
This is the first major move under the direction of CEO Don Faul, who was hired on Aug. 2, 2022.
Austin Malleolo To Replace Gary Gaines As CrossFit’s General Manager Of Affiliates
[Related: CrossFit Announces Semifinal Locations and Dates for 2023 Season]
Austin Malleolo To Replace Gary Gaines As CrossFit’s General Manager Of Affiliates
Who Is Gary Gaines?
Gaines was one of former CEO Eric Roza’s first hires in September 2020 when he took over the reins of CrossFit earlier that summer. Gaines was brought over after serving as the Senior Vice President of Global Operations and studio experience at SoulCycle. He had executive experience working with Lyft and Tesla before that.
Austin Malleolo To Replace Gary Gaines As CrossFit’s General Manager Of Affiliates
Gaines was one of the forward-facing employees of CrossFit, especially for the over 15,000 affiliated gyms. Under his direction, he and his team communicated with the affiliates to expand the CrossFit affiliate brand internationally. His team supported the health of the affiliates by facilitating communication and providing key business insights and resources to develop a more robust infrastructure of support.
Austin Malleolo To Replace Gary Gaines As CrossFit’s General Manager Of Affiliates
During his time as GM of Affiliates, his team introduced the first-ever “Affiliate Playbook,” the Affiliate Partner Network, CrossFit Affiliate Programming, affiliate-only emails, and…
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