Chief Technology & Data Officer

The Chief Technology & Data Officer (CTDO) owns Inspire Brands Asia’s technology, data and AI strategy, defining what the business needs from technology to win across its markets and translating commercial and operating priorities into measurable value. As IBA operates on the global technology platform provided by its US principals, the role serves as IBA’s senior technology interface to the US, ensuring the global roadmap supports regional objectives and that IBA’s requirements are clearly represented. The CTDO also owns the data, analytics and AI capability IBA builds on top of the global platform, turning the network’s data into insight, operational advantage and measurable business value.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Technology Strategy & Vision

• Define IBA’s technology vision and multi-year strategy, translating commercial and operating objectives including unit economics, member experience, franchisee success and corporate gym performance into a clear technology agenda.

• Prioritise IBA’s technology requirements across markets and establish the roadmap, standards and success measures the business holds itself and its platform partners to.

• Maintain a forward view of technology, data and AI trends relevant to multi-site fitness, advising the Group CEO and senior leadership on where to invest, where to simplify and where to push for new capability.

• Ensure technology investment is commercially disciplined and delivers measurable member, operational and financial value.

Principal & Platform Partnership

• Serve as IBA’s senior technology interface to the US principals, who own, manage and contract the core global platform and its technology providers.

• Represent IBA’s regional requirements, including multi-market, multi-currency, local payment methods, regulatory and language needs, into the global product roadmap and advocate for the enhancements IBA depends on.

• Build trusted working relationships with US counterparts and ensure IBA’s voice is represented in platform governance while the global roadmap and IBA’s regional vision remain aligned.

• Manage gaps and practical workarounds where the global platform does not yet meet a regional need, coordinating closely with the US and relevant technology providers.

Data, Analytics & Insight

• Build and own IBA’s data and analytics platform, drawing data from global and local systems and unifying it into a single trusted regional source for decision making.

• Establish the performance and insights cadence relied upon by the executive team and Board, from per-club unit economics to network-level value tracking.

• Develop real-time dashboards and actionable insights for operating and country leaders to improve decision making and performance.

• Strengthen data quality, governance and accessibility so that business leaders can confidently use data to identify opportunities, diagnose performance and take action.

AI Strategy & Adoption

• Set and own IBA’s AI strategy across the areas the business controls, including operations, franchisee enablement, corporate gym management, analytics and member engagement.

• Identify and scale AI use cases with direct business and P&L impact, including labour scheduling, predictive churn and retention modelling, dynamic pricing inputs, billing leakage detection and operational benchmarking.

• Embed AI and automation into workflows where there is a clear business problem, practical application and measurable value.

• Establish responsible AI governance and appropriate guardrails, while building AI literacy and adoption across the organisation.

• Evaluate emerging AI solutions with a focus on usability, security, scalability and commercial relevance.

Local & Peripheral Systems and Technology Governance

• Own the technology IBA procures and operates directly, including regional finance and ERP systems, BI and analytics tooling, marketing technology and integrations between the global platform and IBA’s own systems.

• Manage IBA’s vendor relationships for these systems and the data and integration strategy that connects them to the global platform.

• Provide strategic oversight of corporate IT, infrastructure and technology partners, ensuring appropriate standards for cybersecurity, data protection, access management and business continuity.

• Oversee technology procurement, licensing, vendor management and technology risk for IBA-controlled systems.

Performance & Value Creation

• Partner with the Group CEO, COO and CFO to convert technology, data and AI into measurable EBITDA through corporate gym margin expansion, retention gains, revenue mix improvement and cost efficiency.

• Act as the analytical engine behind the Group’s operating reviews and strategic planning, using data and insights to identify opportunities and improve business performance.

• Establish clear measures of value creation and track the realised impact of major technology, data and AI initiatives.

Strategic Leadership

• Sit on the Group Executive Leadership Team as a peer to functional and market leaders.

• Build and lead the technology, data and AI function, attract strong talent and set the capability agenda as the business scales.

• Build strong partnerships across Operations, Commercial, Finance, Marketing, HR and country leadership.

• Translate complex technology, data and AI topics into clear business decisions and champion these capabilities as enablers of better member experiences, stronger franchise operations and more productive teams.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Significant senior technology, digital or data leadership experience within a multi-market consumer, franchise, retail, fitness, hospitality or similarly distributed organisation.

• Experience operating within a franchise, licensee or platform-partner ecosystem, with the ability to drive outcomes through influence and partnership rather than direct ownership of the core technology stack.

• Proven ability to translate business strategy into technology requirements and represent those requirements effectively to a platform owner, principal or global head office.

• Deep data and analytics leadership experience, including building a data and analytics capability and executive insight cadence at scale.

• Demonstrated practical adoption of AI and machine learning in an operational consumer environment, with evidence of measurable business impact.

• Strong experience with member or customer-facing platforms at scale, together with payments, billing, access systems and integrated technology ecosystems, including where these are provided by third parties.

• Strong understanding of systems integration, data governance, cybersecurity and technology governance.

• Strong cross-border stakeholder and relationship management, particularly with global principals, technology partners and vendors.

• Commercial fluency and judgement, with the ability to connect technology, data and AI investment directly to unit economics and enterprise value.

• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and translate complex technology topics into clear business decisions.

• Strategic mindset combined with a pragmatic, execution-oriented approach in a scaling and entrepreneurial environment.

Preferred

• Experience within franchise, fitness, membership, retail or consumer lifestyle businesses.

• APAC experience across diverse markets and a blended franchised and corporate model.

• Experience leading technology, data, AI or digital transformation at scale.

• Executive presence and experience operating with senior leadership and at Board level.