Tonal Names New CEO as Krystal Zell Exits

Darren MacDonald comes to the strength-based training company as a retail strategy pro, which would indicate what’s next for Tonal

Smart home gym maker Tonal has appointed a new CEO, Darren MacDonald, who succeeds Krystal Zell.

MacDonald comes to Tonal from Petco, where he served as chief customer officer and chief marketing officer, and has over 20 years of global digital strategy and business development expertise. In addition to Petco, MacDonald has held senior leadership roles at Jet.com, IAC, Avery Dennison and managed Walmart’s U.S. e-commerce entertainment business.

Zell Looks to Recharge

As one of the few female CEOs in the fitness industry, Zell had served as Tonal’s chief since January 2023, during which she raised $130 million in funding for the smart home gym brand and oversaw the advancement of AI-driven, hyper-personalized strength training.

The Harvard Business School grad cited the need to recharge, spend more time with family and less commuting to San Francisco on her LinkedIn page as reasons for her exit. She called the transition “bittersweet” and noted that it was a difficult decision in light of an “intense” few years.

“Together, we transformed Tonal into a company that will sustain long into the future in order to serve our devoted members,” Zell wrote. “We’ve grown our membership even in the wake of the post-Covid era, achieved healthy financials and have driven incredible innovation, especially in the areas of hardware and AI capabilities.”

She added that she’s excited for MacDonald to take the reins as the new CEO of Tonal, writing, “I’m certain his skills and experience are exactly what Tonal needs moving forward.”

Member-first MacDonald

In a statement regarding his new role as Tonal CEO, MacDonald shared that he’s a big fan of the smart home gym maker, writing on his LinkedIn page that he was a Tonal member before joining the team.

“I’m excited to work with such a talented team at Tonal,” he said. “We’ve set the bar high by being the first to offer truly personalized strength training technology, and I’m eager to push our offerings even further. Together, we’ll continue to empower people everywhere with the best strength training experience possible.”

Jack Lazar, chairman of Tonal’s board, credited Zell for her leadership, which he says positioned the company for continued success.

“As we embark on this new chapter, we are excited to welcome Darren and his impressive background in retail strategy and consumer-driven growth, which we believe will propel Tonal to new heights in market share, member loyalty and product development,” he added.

Tonal Makes Moves

Earlier this year, Tonal announced a major partnership with Spartan Race, putting Tonal as a required obstacle at all stadium races where participants complete a rotational chop. It’s a move that gives Tonal a massive audience of over 50,000 racers who can experience the equipment firsthand .

Jonathan Shottan, Tonal’s chief product and content officer, shared with Athletech News this spring that the strength training hardware brand has been transformative for its members, with data showing Tonal members make 70+% strength gains in their first year on the at-home device. He also indicated that the brand was considering bolstering its retail presence — an area in which MacDonald has considerable experience.

Data > Connected

At-home fitness has been in a rocky place at times in a post-pandemic setting, and although Tonal has been referred to as the “Peloton of weightlifting,” Zell had strived to differentiate Tonal from the pack, even recoiling from the “connected fitness” label .

“That’s fundamentally not what Tonal is trying to do,” Zell told ATN last fall in a wide-ranging interview highlighting the data Tonal has amassed to drive the user experience. “We’re not trying to create this class experience where you’re connected. Instead, we have a very different philosophy: we are trying to bring intelligent strength to the market.”

MacDonald referenced the strength-based data set that Tonal has amassed on his LinkedIn page, where he noted that Zell had done a “herculean job” and positioned Tonal for continued growth.

“I’ve been blown away with the innovation in the product and equally impressed by how many lives it has changed,” he wrote. “People who try this product end up buying it and sticking with it (lowest churn in the category) as it improves their health and wellbeing.”

Check out ATN’s exclusive Q&A with Tonal coach Kendall “Woody” Wood here , where she shares her gym bag staples and favorite wellness products.

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