3Search partnered with leading global gym group, PureGym, following its acquisition of Blink Fitness. As the business was preparing to relaunch the brand across New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, they required a senior marketing leader capable of driving both commercial growth and brand transformation.
We were engaged to deliver a confidential search for a Head of Marketing to support one of the most significant consumer fitness market transitions in the United States.
PureGym is one of the UK's largest gym operators, recognized for its affordable, high-volume fitness model. Following the acquisition of Blink Fitness, the business entered a new phase of international growth, creating an opportunity to establish and scale the PureGym brand in the United States.
To successfully launch in the U.S., they needed to create a commercially successful growth engine capable of driving membership acquisition, increasing local market demand and supporting the expansion of the PureGym proposition across a highly competitive consumer market.
PureGym needed a senior operator who could balance long-term brand development with the day-to-day realities of driving gym performance, supporting launches and accelerating customer acquisition. This was a unique opportunity, with few candidates possessing the right blend of commercial leadership, multi-site consumer marketing experience, and hands-on executional capability.
The business was not looking for a traditional corporate marketer. PureGym needed a leader who could navigate ambiguity, build a function within a transforming organization, and act as a key contributor to the wider US growth strategy.
The hiring team required access to an exceptionally niche talent pool. Candidates with the right skill set were not actively seeking new opportunities, so needed the support of our marketing headhunters to reach them.
PureGym chose to partner with our marketing recruitment consultants, due to their breadth of experience. Rather than restricting the search to fitness, 3Search brought deep knowledge of the wider consumer market and the ability to identify leaders with transferable experience from hospitality, retail, sports, entertainment and other multi-site businesses facing similar commercial challenges.
Jason Goodwin delivered an extensive executive search across North America. The search included:
Every shortlisted candidate was assessed not only on their track record but also on their ability to operate successfully within PureGym's entrepreneurial, fast-paced culture.
As the search progressed, the requirements evolved significantly. The initial focus on fitness-sector experience shifted towards commercially driven operators capable of building and scaling businesses in transformation environments. Jason worked closely with stakeholders to redefine success criteria and refine the target market.
3Search successfully appointed a Head of Marketing (US) to lead PureGym's commercial and brand transformation following the Blink Fitness acquisition.
The successful hire brought expertise across customer acquisition, local marketing, commercial growth and operational execution, providing PureGym with the leadership required to establish strong foundations for its US expansion strategy.
We partnered with Jason and the team at 3Search to recruit a senior Marketing leader for PureGym’s US business. The search needed to be handled as a confidential mandate, so it was important that we worked with a recruitment partner we could trust to represent the opportunity professionally and approach the market with discretion. Jason conducted a thorough search and introduced us to a strong range of candidates. The quality of the shortlist was excellent, and we interviewed every candidate he recommended. We ultimately progressed two people to the final stage and would have felt confident hiring either of them, which is a strong reflection of how well Jason understood the brief. Throughout the process, Jason communicated clearly, provided valuable market insight and managed both the candidates and the confidential nature of the search extremely well. I would highly recommend Jason and 3Search to any business looking to recruit senior marketing or wider go-to-market talent in the US. They delivered a rigorous, professional search and gave us genuine choice between several high-quality candidates.
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