Reto Conrad was elected as the new swiss active President on November 30, 2022. Although he may not yet be known to some in the industry, he is a leader with decades of experience. The “CFO of the year 2011” took his first steps in the fitness industry a few years ago as Chairman of the Board of Directors of update Fitness AG. Now he is returning to take on the new challenge of becoming President of swiss active. We wanted to find out more about the new man at the top of the association and invited him for an interview.
FITNESS TRIBUNE: Reto, why don’t you briefly introduce yourself?
Reto Conrad: I spent 21 years on the management boards of three international and national corporate groups, including 15 years as CFO and six years with responsibility for operational units. After ten years as a member of the Executive Board at Coop, including the last six years as Head of IT/Production/Services – a motley mix of IT, production operations, hotels, customer service and corporate development – I left Coop this summer as part of a reorganization and am now self-employed. I am married, father of a 27-year-old son and have a very broad range of interests. I always focus on people and teamwork is extremely important to me. My hobbies include traveling, sport, friends, family and reading.
FT: In your new role as President of swiss active, you are now taking further steps in the fitness and health industry. What connects you to this future-oriented industry?
RC: I’m not entirely new to the industry. Over the past six years, I have also been Chairman of the Board of Directors of update Fitness, among other things, and stepped down from this position when I resigned from Coop. The fitness industry makes a very important contribution to public health and fitness centers are a central element in this area. I am therefore convinced that the fitness industry will continue to develop very well in the future.
FT: What were your reasons for deciding to work as an association president in our industry?
RC: As President of the Board of Directors of Update Fitness, I have met many great people in the industry who work with a lot of commitment, passion and enthusiasm, and I have experienced the joy of the guests in the fitness centers. This really, really fascinated me. During this time, I have dealt intensively with the opportunities and challenges of the industry and naturally got to know it better.
The fitness industry plays a central role in preventive health. Over one million Swiss people are members of a provider, which is almost twelve percent of the resident population. This shows how important the fitness industry is for the health sector in general and for the sports sector in particular. At the same time, however, this also means that 88 percent are not members of a fitness center, meaning that there is still huge potential. It will take a lot of persuasion to win over even more fans for the fitness industry. The aim should be for training to become as natural as brushing your teeth. And I would like to contribute to this.
FT: How do you rate the importance of association work? Why can associations actually achieve more than individual companies?
RC: We need a powerful and credible association that represents the interests of the sector vis-à-vis the authorities, politicians, the media, other associations, health insurers and the public in general and works to create attractive framework conditions. A single company cannot do this on its own. The coronavirus period in particular has shown that a credible and reliable association that consistently and pragmatically champions the interests of its members can achieve a great deal. The Board of Directors and, in particular, former Managing Director Roger Erni (editor’s note: Roger Erni stepped down from the management and the Board of Directors with the elections on 30.11.2022; the Board of Directors was also newly elected) engaged in intensive discussions with the authorities in order to achieve realistic solutions for the entire industry. First-hand information was quickly shared with members so that they could prepare for changes in good time. I think this was a really important time to show that the industry is stronger together than if everyone fights alone.
FT: What goals are you personally pursuing in your new role, where do you see the focus of your association work? What would you like to achieve for the Swiss fitness industry and the swiss active association?
RC: I have just been elected and my first task is to listen to many members and understand even better what their expectations of the association are. Overall, I am convinced that the association is on a good and stable footing and is working on the right issues. This means that
can continue to build on its current excellent foundation. There is certainly no shortage of topics that need to be developed further. We must ensure that the training of our employees is aligned with our requirements and also receives the recognition it deserves. Employees are a decisive factor for enthusiastic guests who like to come back. In the area of quality, it is also important to ensure that the Qualitop label also meets future requirements and can be implemented pragmatically but with an appealingly high level of quality. It is also important to maintain contacts with health insurance companies, to ensure that
continues to be recognized by health insurance companies in the future and to explore possible extensions of cooperation with other players.
“swiss active is there for all members! Both small and large; entrepreneur-run fitness businesses as well as fitness chains should feel represented in the association.” Reto Conrad
FT: To what extent do the “key data of the Swiss fitness industry” play a decisive role in achieving these goals – but also the industry goals in general?
RC: We are proud that, together with the German University for Prevention and Health Management (DHfPG), we were able to conduct a study for the first time that represents the entire industry and all providers and shows key figures for the entire industry. We are now in the process of launching the 2023 study and I am convinced that we will gain further exciting insights with the time series.
FT: And where do you see the potential for the industry, also in terms of what the key data tells us?
RC: Basically, it’s really pleasing to see people wanting to return to the centers and train again after the pandemic. The pandemic itself was a really tough time for providers in the industry. However, we have also seen that older member groups in particular are struggling with fears
and have not renewed their contracts or have even terminated them. They are likely to need further support from fitness operators to allay these fears and get them back on track. As I hear from the industry, these efforts are already proving successful, with older members actually feeling more comfortable and confident again and also coming back more often.
FT: Who or which industry members would you like to represent in your work as swiss active President?
RC: What is extremely important to me is that swiss active is there for all industry members! In my professional career, I have always had to deal with business units of different sizes. Even smaller units must be able to develop freely and entrepreneurially within an association. This is exactly what is important to me for swiss active: small and large, entrepreneur-managed fitness companies as well as
fitness chains should feel represented in the association, should feel that the association is there for everyone and is committed to the key issues for all members with the relevant players, i.e. authorities, politicians, the media, other associations, health insurers and the public. I am convinced that IG Fitness Schweiz and swiss active have proven in recent years, especially during the coronavirus period, that they are there for everyone. The Board and former Managing Director Roger Erni have done a great and committed job, which I would like to build on.
FT: How would you like to increase the political and social recognition of the industry?
RC: Thanks to the key data study, we now have some really impressive facts and figures about our industry for the first time. We now need to communicate these even more strongly to the outside world. In particular, however, we want constructive, reliable and committed collaboration in the
sectors and committees, as well as reliable cooperation with the authorities, and therefore also want to be a reliable partner.
FT: You are a keen sportsman yourself. How do you personally keep fit?
RC: I’m actually a keen runner, but unfortunately I’m a bit injured at the moment. I also try to incorporate exercise into my everyday life and move around as much as possible. And finally, I regularly visit a fitness center so that I don’t neglect strength and coordination over endurance.
FT: Thank you very much, dear Reto, and good luck!
