CrossFit hires Kyla Pavlina CPO

Kyla Pavlina has returned to CrossFit as chief people officer, according to a May 20 report by The Barbell Spin. The report said Pavlina’s appointment is effective immediately and puts her in charge of the company’s people and culture functions. The move brings back an executive who previously led human resources at CrossFit for six years. It also comes weeks after Bruce Edwards was announced as CrossFit’s returning chief executive officer. ### When did Pavlina last work at CrossFit? The Barbell Spin reported that Pavlina was CrossFit’s head of human resources from 2013 through 2019. Her return comes a little more than six years after she left the company, the report said. CrossFit’s own public athlete database also lists a Kyla Pavlina profile on the company’s Games site, though the personnel move itself was reported by The Barbell Spin rather than in a CrossFit announcement page reviewed for this story. (thebarbellspin.com) ### What experience does Pavlina bring back into the role? Hyperfine said in a 2021 announcement that Pavlina joined that company as chief people officer after serving as chief people officer at Mesa Biotech, which later became part of Thermo Fisher Scientific. (thebarbellspin.com) Hyperfine said she had also served as vice president of human resources at SeaSpine and previously as head of human resources at CrossFit. (games.crossfit.com) The Hyperfine announcement said Pavlina is a lawyer by training and described her background as spanning medical technology, healthcare human resources and talent growth. A separate speaker biography for a 2026 human resources event described her work in people analytics and leadership alignment. ### Why does the timing stand out inside CrossFit? (hyperfinemri.com) CrossFit said on April 28 that Bruce Edwards would return as chief executive officer starting May 4, 2026. The Barbell Spin said Pavlina’s appointment is Edwards’ first major hire since his return earlier this month. The timing places the people chief appointment near the start of Edwards’ new term, as CrossFit continues through its 2026 Games season and broader corporate operations. (hyperfinemri.com) CrossFit’s announcements page reviewed for this story included Edwards’ return but did not, in the material surfaced here, include a separate post on Pavlina’s hiring. ### What will Pavlina oversee as chief people officer? (crossfit.com) The Barbell Spin said Pavlina will oversee CrossFit’s people and culture functions in the chief people officer role. The report did not specify additional structural changes, reporting lines or whether other executive appointments would follow. Chief people officer roles typically cover hiring, retention, compensation, benefits and workplace culture, but CrossFit had not published a detailed job scope in the material reviewed for this story. (crossfit.com) That means the clearest verified description remains the one in The Barbell Spin report: people and culture, effective immediately. (thebarbellspin.com) ### What comes next at CrossFit? The Barbell Spin’s report leaves the next formal milestone as CrossFit’s own confirmation or any additional executive announcement from the company. CrossFit’s announcements page remains the main public location for company leadership updates reviewed for this story. The 2026 CrossFit Games are scheduled for July 24-26 in San Jose, California, according to The Barbell Spin’s YouTube channel description, giving CrossFit a near-term public event on its calendar as the company reshapes its leadership team. (thebarbellspin.com) (youtube.com) (crossfit.com)