Ironman Group announces new CEO
Adventure enthusiast and former president of Equinox, Scott DeRue, replaces Andrew Messick
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Ironman
The global company that owns the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 series, along with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series, Ironman Kids, UTMB and Epic Series (among others) – Ironman Group – has announced the man who will replace long-time CEO Andrew Messick – Scott DeRue, who joins the company after serving as the president of Equinox, the high-end fitness brand, through the company’s recovery from the COVID pandemic.
New Ironman CEO brings passion and business chops at a turbulent time for the company
An avid outdoor adventure enthusiast, DeRue finished the 250 km Gobi March Ultramarathon (pictured above) last year and has reached the summits of six of the “seven summits” – the highest peaks on all seven continents – including Everest, Denali, Elbrus, Vinson, Mt. Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua. (The only summit still on his list is Mt. Wilhelm in Papua, New Guinea. It hasn’t been possible to get a tourist visa to the island since 2018.)
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“DeRue’s career has been dedicated to creating life-changing experiences that help people discover and maximize their potential,” Ironman wrote in a release today. “At Equinox, DeRue oversaw a global lifestyle brand and health and wellness business that included 107 fitness clubs, a connected fitness platform, a large personal training and coaching practice, and digital commerce and media properties. During DeRue’s tenure, he led the company through significant rebuilding and growth, with a clear focus on maximizing customer satisfaction and engagement, which allowed Equinox to rebound successfully from the pandemic, inspire innovation, and achieve record-level operating performance and engagement with the company’s community of members and subscribers. Before his appointment as President, DeRue served for three years as an independent director on the Equinox board.”
Andrew Messick retires after 12 years as President and CEO of Ironman
Prior to his time at Equinox DeRue served as the Dean of the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Before that he “held various faculty and leadership positions at Michigan for over a decade.” He started his career as an analyst for the Monitor Group (which has since become part of Deloitte).
“I am honored to join and lead this purpose-driven organization that for 45 years has consistently tested the boundaries of human achievement and underscored the belief that Anything is Possible,” said DeRue. “My life has been deeply enriched by being part of the global endurance community and I feel incredibly fortunate to lead The Ironman Group in its mission to inspire people to be the best version of themselves through testing the limits of their physical and mental strength.”
