Kyla Pavlina returns as CrossFit CPO

Kyla Pavlina has returned to CrossFit as chief people officer, according to a May 20 report by The Barbell Spin. The outlet said Pavlina previously served as CrossFit’s head of human resources from 2013 through 2019 and is now back at the company after more than six years away. The report also described the move as the first major hire since Bruce Edwards rejoined CrossFit as chief executive earlier this month. (thebarbellspin.com) ### When did Pavlina’s return become public? May 20 was the date The Barbell Spin published its report on Pavlina’s return to CrossFit. (thebarbellspin.com) The outlet said Pavlina announced the move in a LinkedIn post and identified her new title as chief people officer. LinkedIn was the platform where Pavlina explained why she decided to return, according to The Barbell Spin. In the excerpt published by the outlet, Pavlina said she made the decision “with a very full heart” and described the past 6-plus years as a period in which she helped organizations deliver “life-saving tests, tools, and medicine to society.” (thebarbellspin.com) ### What role is she taking at CrossFit? Chief people officer is the title CrossFit is giving Pavlina on her return, The Barbell Spin reported. That role typically covers personnel strategy, hiring, retention and broader people operations, though CrossFit had not published a separate detailed job description in the material reviewed for this story. (thebarbellspin.com) CrossFit was described by Pavlina as a place where “challenge, accountability, growth, purpose, and community collide,” according to the LinkedIn excerpts reproduced by The Barbell Spin. In those comments, she framed the company’s people and community as central to its culture. (thebarbellspin.com) ### What is her history with the company? From 2013 through 2019, Pavlina served as CrossFit’s head of human resources, The Barbell Spin said. The report said her return comes just over six years after that earlier stint ended. (thebarbellspin.com) More recently, Pavlina said she spent the last 6-plus years working with organizations focused on tests, tools and medicine, according to the LinkedIn text quoted by The Barbell Spin. The report did not list every employer from that period, but it said the experience broadened her leadership background before her return to CrossFit. (thebarbellspin.com) ### Why did Pavlina say she wanted to come back? Pavlina said in her LinkedIn statement that her time away reinforced her belief that “a company’s greatest asset is its people,” according to The Barbell Spin. She also said CrossFit represented the kind of environment where intrinsic motivation, rather than external recognition, drives performance. (thebarbellspin.com) In the same statement, Pavlina linked CrossFit’s community model to a broader social argument. She said community is “one of the strongest antidotes we have left” at a time of artificial intelligence, political division and digital distraction, according to the excerpts published by The Barbell Spin. (thebarbellspin.com) ### Where does this fit inside CrossFit’s current leadership picture? Bruce Edwards was identified by The Barbell Spin as CrossFit’s chief executive and the executive under whom this hire was made. The outlet said Pavlina’s appointment was Edwards’ first major hire since he rejoined the company earlier in May. (thebarbellspin.com) May 20 is the latest public marker in that staffing picture. CrossFit’s next public updates on leadership or organizational changes are likely to appear through company channels or executives’ LinkedIn posts, with The Barbell Spin already citing Pavlina’s announcement there. (thebarbellspin.com)