The Health & Fitness Association (HFA) will recognize three prominent leaders for their impact on the global fitness and wellness sector during The HFA Show 2026, scheduled for March 16–18 in San Diego.
Bodytech Colombia Co-Founder and Executive Vice President Gigliola Aycardi, LifeFit Group CEO Martin Seibold, and ACAC Fitness & Wellness Centers CEO Chris Craytor will each receive industry awards from the Health & Fitness Association (HFA) during The HFA Show 2026. Aycardi and Seibold will be honored prior to the keynote address on March 17, and Craytor will receive his award prior to the March 18 keynote.
(Left to right) Bodytech Colombia Co-Founder and Executive Vice President Gigliola Aycardi, LifeFit Group CEO Martin Seibold, and ACAC Fitness & Wellness Centers CEO Chris Craytor
A Trailblazer in Latin American Fitness
Aycardi will receive the Woman Leader Award in Honor of Julie Main for her decades-long influence on the Latin American fitness industry. She co-founded Bodytech in 1997 with Nicolás Loaiza as part of their MBA project. The two built a model that integrates fitness, medical services, nutrition counseling, and physiotherapy—an approach that was ahead of its time.
Aycardi and Loaiza grew the BodyTech brand into one of the most successful chains in Latin America with locations in Colombia and Peru. Then, in 2012, Aycardi and Loaiza bought the biggest health club chain in Chile, called Sportlife. While BodyTech clubs are all corporate owned, Sportlife has 30 franchises in Chile.
A former HFA board member, Aycardi played a key role in securing a major investment for her company from private equity firm L Catterton in 2016, fueling further growth. She and Loaiza were named Ernst & Young’s Colombia Entrepreneurs of the Year in 2014 and were finalists for the firm’s World Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2015. Aycardi has also served on the board of directors of EAN University since 2018.
Driving Rapid Expansion in Europe
Seibold, the recipient of the John Holsinger Global Leader Award, is being recognized for his leadership in scaling LifeFit Group’s portfolio across Europe. Under his direction, the company has expanded brands such as Fitness First, ELBGYM, and Xponential Fitness concepts Club Pilates and YogaSix in Europe.
LifeFit Group secured new backing from Waterland Private Equity during Seibold’s tenure and completed the acquisition of FIT/One Group in early 2025. The deal marked the company’s entry into Austria and advanced its goal of operating more than 250 clubs by 2028—a nearly 400% increase from the 55 clubs it managed when the company launched in 2019.
His deep roots with HFA began in 1994, when he was named the first international intern for the association. He went on to hold leading positions in companies in Germany, England, Asia, and Australia before leading LifeFit Group.
A Leading Voice for Industry Advocacy
Craytor will receive the Jim Worthington Advocate of the Year Award for his extensive work advancing public policy efforts on behalf of the fitness industry. A former HFA board member and then HFA board chair (2022-2024), Craytor helped steer the association toward a stronger advocacy focus during and after the pandemic. He worked closely with then-new President and CEO Liz Clark as she built an advocacy engine to position the global fitness industry as an invaluable sector for world population health. Without Craytor’s vision and support, HFA’s influence would likely not be as strong as it is today.
Though retired from the board, Craytor still plays a vital role in advocating for the industry. A regular presence at the annual HFA Fly-in and Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC, the Virginia resident recently worked closely with the HFA advocacy team in thwarting two state bills in that state’s legislature that would have taxed gym memberships. He also has been a vocal proponent of the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act and has used industry podcasts and media appearances to promote the importance of advocacy.
To attend the awards presentations, register for The HFA Show here.
