From Merger to Momentum: Aligning Brands, Systems, and Teams Across Asia

At the heart of a high-stakes merger, two competing fitness giants, Celebrity Fitness and Fitness First, united under a combined workforce of 7,000 employees. Each brand brought distinct operational characteristics, member demographics, and business cultures:

• Celebrity Fitness: Dominant in Malaysia and Indonesia, targeting a younger, dynamic member base. Its operational model was fluid, spontaneous, and tactically agile, with staff empowered to personalize member experiences. However, the brand lacked structured performance management systems and supporting business tools.
• Fitness First: Spanning six countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Philippines), its older, corporate-oriented member demographic valued consistency and structure. Fitness First boasted a strong performance management culture, supported by robust reporting systems and defined workflows.

Compounding the challenge, Fitness First was undergoing regional divestments (UK, Australia, Germany, and Asia), creating a need for an IT separation plan. This required transitioning critical systems, including hardware, active directories, networks, telecommunications, and digital platforms, while integrating with Celebrity Fitness’s existing ecosystem.

The merger demanded balancing brand differentiation with operational alignment to achieve dual-brand synergies and streamline cultural integration.

Tim was tasked with delivering a comprehensive transformation to align operations, optimize processes, and ensure seamless systems integration across both brands. Key objectives included:

1. Standardizing Operations: Develop unified processes and workflows while preserving the distinct identities of each brand.
2. Defining Brand Signatures: Audit and differentiate products and services to create marketable, brand-specific experiences.
3. System Overhaul: Audit existing platforms, identify gaps, and present a business case for cost-effective, scalable IT solutions supporting dual-brand synergies.
4. IT Separation: Transition Fitness First from global infrastructure while ensuring system integration with Celebrity Fitness.
5. Cultural Integration: Harmonize two contrasting corporate cultures into a cohesive organizational framework.

To deliver on these objectives, Tim executed a strategic, multi-layered approach:

1. Business Audits: Conducted deep-dive audits into the operations of both brands, evaluating sales processes, member experiences, service delivery, administration, and performance management systems.
2. System Evaluations: Assessed the existing IT landscapes, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and gaps. This informed the development of a robust business case for system upgrades and integrations.
3. Operational Alignment: Proposed streamlined workflows and dual-brand synergies to drive efficiencies without compromising brand identities.
4. Brand Signature Workshops: Collaborated with subject matter experts to identify unique brand attributes and create marketable experiences.
5. Competency Development: Established dual-brand competency benchmarks, enabling cross-brand training and standardized career development pathways.
6. Change Management: Facilitated workshops with key stakeholders to foster trust, align on vision, and secure buy-in at every organizational level.
7. Systems Integration: Designed, developed, and deployed unified platforms for sales/lead management and membership management across both brands and regions.

To deliver on these objectives, Tim executed a strategic, multi-layered approach:

1. Business Audits: Conducted deep-dive audits into the operations of both brands, evaluating sales processes, member experiences, service delivery, administration, and performance management systems.
2. System Evaluations: Assessed the existing IT landscapes, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and gaps. This informed the development of a robust business case for system upgrades and integrations.
3. Operational Alignment: Proposed streamlined workflows and dual-brand synergies to drive efficiencies without compromising brand identities.
4. Brand Signature Workshops: Collaborated with subject matter experts to identify unique brand attributes and create marketable experiences.
5. Competency Development: Established dual-brand competency benchmarks, enabling cross-brand training and standardized career development pathways.
6. Change Management: Facilitated workshops with key stakeholders to foster trust, align on vision, and secure buy-in at every organizational level.
7. Systems Integration: Designed, developed, and deployed unified platforms for sales/lead management and membership management across both brands and regions.

Tim’s leadership delivered transformative outcomes:

1. Unified Technology Platforms:
   • A dual-brand sales/lead management platform was deployed across six countries, streamlining workflows and enhancing lead conversion rates.
   • A centralized membership management platform was implemented, enabling efficient cross-brand member services.
2. Operational Synergy:
   • Both brands adopted a shared organizational model, enabling cross-brand performance management and operational efficiency.
3. Cultural Alignment:
   • Employees embraced new tools and processes, supported by comprehensive training in dual-brand systems and workflows.
   • A unified career development framework aligned role expectations with capability benchmarks, fostering employee growth and satisfaction.
4. Enhanced Brand Experiences:
   • Clear brand signatures were defined, reinforcing the distinct value propositions of each brand while supporting market expansion.

Tim’s strategic oversight not only ensured the seamless integration of two contrasting organizations but also established a scalable foundation for sustained growth, innovation, and market leadership.

1. Leading Industry Transformation in Asia

2. Technology Transformation

3. Salesforce Design and Integration

4. Scalable Membership Management Systems

5. Cultural Integration and Brand Synergies

March 2017 marked a pivotal turning point for Fitness First, as the company transitioned from a global structure to individually managed territories. This strategic restructuring led to the merger of Fitness First Asia with Celebrity Fitness, uniting two of Southeast Asia’s most prominent fitness brands.

While the two brands had differing levels of regional success and cultural approaches, their merger aimed to create the premier fitness platform in Southeast Asia. This integration presented a unique opportunity to reshape the regional fitness landscape.

Key Strategic Opportunities Included:

• Expanding Market Reach: Combining complementary brand identities and customer profiles to attract a broader audience.
• Strengthening Market Presence: Establishing a unified network of clubs across key Southeast Asian markets.
• Operational Efficiencies: Leveraging economies of scale for cost savings and streamlined operations.
• Innovation Through Expertise: Harnessing the knowledge of seasoned management teams to foster continuous improvement.

Tim was critical in driving the merger’s success, contributing well before its formal announcement. Tim addressed pivotal operational and human resource challenges as a linchpin during the bidding process.

Key Contributions:

1. IT Systems & Operational Assessments: Conducted an exhaustive review of Celebrity Fitness’s IT infrastructure, systems, and operational workflows to identify integration opportunities and gaps.
2. Separation Plan Development: Designed a robust 12-month separation plan to transition Fitness First Asia from its global structure. This plan outlined migrating digital platforms, applications, hardware, and communication tools into a localized management model.

This foundational work provided a clear roadmap for aligning the two brands while minimizing operational disruptions.

Phase One aimed to lay the groundwork for unified operations and member experiences by addressing immediate gaps and aligning core systems across both brands. The key objectives for each component were:

• Sales/Lead Management Platform:
  Develop a platform that provides real-time tracking and management of leads and sales activities while supporting cross-brand collaboration. The goal was to create a system capable of delivering actionable insights to sales teams, enhancing lead conversion rates and driving revenue growth.

• CRM Platform:
  Introduce a customer relationship management solution to centralize member data, enable personalized communication, and foster stronger member relationships. The focus was on creating engagement strategies tailored to the diverse needs of both brands.

• Membership Management System Enhancements:
  Leverage Fitness First’s existing platform to fill functionality gaps, ensuring seamless integration of member records, payment processes, and account management for both brands. This system needed to handle the operational complexity of managing dual-brand memberships efficiently.

• Personal Training Management System:
  Establish a platform to support personal trainers with tools for tracking performance metrics, managing schedules, and improving client interactions. The objective was to reinforce a culture of accountability and performance excellence within the training teams.

• Business Intelligence Tools:
  Implement robust data analytics capabilities to unify reporting across both brands, providing leadership with accurate and timely insights. This tool aimed to support data-driven decision-making, optimize resource allocation, and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs).

Building on the foundation of Phase One, Phase Two focused on scaling proprietary systems to ensure long-term operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and future readiness. The objectives for this phase were:

• Scalability:
  Enhance the systems to handle the growing operational demands of both brands, including expanding membership bases and increasing club locations. This required robust architecture capable of supporting business growth without significant incremental costs.
• Cost Optimization:
  Reduce dependency on third-party tools and minimize ongoing operational costs by developing proprietary features tailored to the specific needs of both brands.
• Integration Flexibility:
  Ensure that the systems could seamlessly integrate with new technologies and business tools, enabling continuous innovation and adaptability to market trends.
• Standardization Across Regions:
  Unify operational processes and data across six countries to eliminate redundancies and streamline cross-brand management.

After the sales audit reviews across both brands, it was deemed necessary to replace existing platforms with one that could be tailored to the needs of both brands. Existing platforms had served as successful tools in years past; however, faced with a combination of outdated features and little to no 3rd party support, there was no opportunity to develop either platform to meet the new business requirements.

With this in mind, Tim and the team explored several options for supporting business cases. It was agreed that Evolution Wellness would engage Salesforce to help customize a lead management platform.

Recognizing the limitations of existing legacy platforms, Tim led the adoption of Salesforce Sales Cloud & App Cloud as the unified solution for managing sales and lead activities across both brands. This transition was pivotal in creating a scalable and adaptable system capable of meeting the unique needs of Fitness First Asia and Celebrity Fitness.

Objectives:

• Establish a centralized platform to streamline sales and lead tracking across six countries.
• Enable integration with existing systems to support seamless data flow and operational continuity.
• Standardize sales methodologies and workflows to align with dual-brand operations.

Key Steps in Implementation:

1. Stakeholder Engagement:
   Tim brought together Salesforce experts, Viseo consultants, and cross-country subject matter experts (SMEs) to ensure the platform met regional and brand-specific needs.
2. Custom Feature Development:
   • Designed tools for real-time activity tracking, guest segmentation, and goal setting at the club and country levels.
   • Developed custom dashboards for sales commissions, productivity tracking, and KPI reporting.
3. Change Management and Training:
   Tim led workshops for local sales teams, ensuring adoption of the new system. These workshops focused on hands-on training, troubleshooting, and alignment with business objectives.

Impact:

• Successful deployment across six countries and both brands within 14 months.
• Improved data transparency, enabling better decision-making for sales and marketing teams.
• Unified processes and tools that supported consistent training and performance evaluation across regions.

Tim’s evaluation of membership management systems was driven by the need to balance operational efficiency with scalability and long-term adaptability. After a detailed review, Fitness First’s proprietary Members First platform was chosen over EXERP for its suitability in supporting dual-brand operations.

Objectives:

• Ensure a faster, cost-effective implementation to align systems across both brands.
• Minimize disruptions to existing operations while transitioning Celebrity Fitness to the new platform.
• Provide a robust foundation for managing complex membership structures, including dual-brand accounts.

Process:

1. Requirements Gathering:
   Tim conducted in-depth discovery sessions with stakeholders from both brands to identify critical gaps and priorities.
2. Custom Development:
   Worked with development teams to tailor Members First for dual-brand compatibility, addressing specific needs like membership sharing, billing integrations, and enhanced reporting.
3. Migration and Testing:
   Led the migration of Celebrity Fitness data to Members First, ensuring data integrity and system reliability through rigorous testing.

Results:

• Streamlined membership operations across six countries, enabling faster onboarding and improved service delivery.
• Reduced reliance on manual processes, leading to significant time and cost savings.
• Established a scalable system ready for future enhancements and integrations.

The merger of Fitness First Asia and Celebrity Fitness went beyond operational integration—it required aligning two distinct cultures and brand identities to create a cohesive organization.

Tim spearheaded a light brand refresh for Celebrity Fitness to modernize its image while preserving its unique identity.

Key Activities:

• Staff and Member Feedback: Conducted surveys and focus groups to gather insights on the brand’s strengths and areas for improvement.
• Visual and Verbal Identity: Updated logos, color palettes, typography, and messaging to resonate with modern audiences while aligning with Fitness First’s refreshed identity.
• Brand Philosophy: Refined the brand’s fitness philosophy to emphasize inclusivity, fun, and energy, aligning with the values of its target demographics.

Impact:
The refreshed brand allowed Celebrity Fitness to connect more effectively with its audience, boosting member engagement and strengthening its market position.

Tim led collaborative workshops to define a shared fitness philosophy for both brands. This process involved:

• Identifying commonalities in training methodologies and member expectations.
• Developing branded learning journeys to ensure trainers delivered consistent experiences.
• Aligning fitness products and services to reinforce each brand’s unique value proposition.

This strategic transformation under Tim’s leadership not only integrated Fitness First Asia and Celebrity Fitness into a unified entity but also positioned them as the premier fitness brands in Southeast Asia, with a foundation for sustained growth and innovation.