Hotpod Yoga
Supporting a fast-growing fitness and wellness brand with its first C-suite appointment outside the founding team.
There is a significant difference between hiring another senior employee and bringing the first external leader into a founder-led C-suite.
Adding operational leadership at a pivotal stage of growth.
Chief Operating Officer
A hands-on, commercially minded operational leader capable of supporting existing studios, future launches and the continued development of Hotpod Yoga's franchise model.
First C-suite hire outside the foundersA distinctive concept built for growth.
Hotpod Yoga is a franchise business developing technical pods for immersive hot yoga studio classes across the UK and Europe.
During an exciting period of expansion, the business was preparing to strengthen a C-suite that had, until then, consisted of its two founders: the CEO and CPO.
The new COO would therefore be more than an operational appointment. They would become the first external executive to join the founders at C-suite level and play an important role in the next stage of the business.
Commercial thinking. Operational rigour. An entrepreneurial mindset.
Consumer Exec was asked to find a COO who could help drive both operational and commercial success across Hotpod Yoga's existing studios and its planned new launches.
The successful individual needed to be genuinely hands-on and entrepreneurial. This was not a role for someone accustomed only to operating within a large, heavily structured organisation. Hotpod Yoga needed a leader who understood what it meant to build.
Experience of franchise business models was important, as was evidence that the individual had played a meaningful role in the development and growth of a consumer brand.
Although experience within sport and leisure was preferable, the founders deliberately kept the search broader. Relevant candidates could also come from fashion, restaurants, cafés and bars where the commercial and operational challenges of scaling a multi-site consumer proposition had strong parallels.
Sector experience mattered, but the ability to develop locations, enter markets and build a consumer-facing operation at pace mattered more.
A COO who could operate as well as strategise.
Entrepreneurial
Comfortable in a founder-led environment and prepared to remain close to the detail rather than simply directing from above.
Commercially minded
Able to connect operational decisions with growth, market development and the commercial performance of the wider business.
Proven at scale
Experienced in developing a consumer brand and understanding the realities of growing a network across both domestic and international markets.
Experience built in a high-growth activewear brand.
The successful candidate had worked within a sports and activewear business during a period of significant growth, helping to build its retail network both locally and internationally.
That experience gave them an exceptional understanding of key markets: how to enter them, how to develop them and how to build awareness around a growing consumer brand.
A successful hire into a vital leadership role.
The search resulted in the successful appointment of Hotpod Yoga's COO, adding external C-suite capability to support the founders through the next stage of growth.
Brief refinement
Working closely with the founders to understand the business, its values and what the role genuinely needed to deliver.
Strong shortlist
A range of candidates aligned to both the operational requirements of the position and the culture of the business.
Successful appointment
The first external C-suite hire for a role central to Hotpod Yoga's future operational and commercial growth.
“We were really happy with Wayne running our search. The process was clear, smooth, and well put together. They got a clear understanding of the business and helped us refine our brief to a point that we were totally happy with it. They were clear on what we needed and what our values and priorities were. Ultimately, they got us a strong range of candidates in a shortlist and then listened and responded well to our feedback. Critically, the end result was a very successful hire to a vital role.”
Leadership for high-growth leisure brands.
Consumer Exec partners with founder-led, investor-backed and international fitness, wellness, leisure and hospitality businesses to appoint senior leaders at the moments that matter most.
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Image source includes: Hotpod Yoga