Kyla Pavlina returns to CrossFit as CPO

CrossFit has brought Kyla Pavlina back to the company as chief people officer, according to a May 20 report from The Barbell Spin. The outlet said Pavlina previously served as CrossFit’s head of human resources from 2013 through 2019 and is now returning more than six years later. The move adds another former executive to the company’s leadership ranks weeks after Bruce Edwards rejoined as chief executive. The Barbell Spin described Pavlina as Edwards’ first major hire since his own return. ### Who is Kyla Pavlina inside the CrossFit organization? The Barbell Spin reported that Pavlina was CrossFit’s head of human resources from 2013 through 2019 before leaving the company. Her return places a former senior people executive back inside a company that has been reshaping its leadership team this spring. (thebarbellspin.com) Pavlina said in a LinkedIn post cited by The Barbell Spin that she had spent the last “6+ years” helping organizations bring “life-saving tests, tools, and medicine to society.” She said that work expanded her as a leader and deepened her understanding of “health, humanity, and what becomes possible when talented people align around meaningful work.” (thebarbellspin.com) ### What did Pavlina say about coming back now? Pavlina wrote on LinkedIn that she made the decision to return to CrossFit “with a very full heart,” according to The Barbell Spin. She said her time away reinforced her belief that “a company’s greatest asset is its people.” In the same post, Pavlina said CrossFit had long represented the kind of environment where “challenge, accountability, growth, purpose, and community collide.” She also wrote that, “At its best, CrossFit creates belonging in a world increasingly pulling people apart,” framing community as central to the company’s culture. (thebarbellspin.com) ### How does this fit with Bruce Edwards’ return? CrossFit announced on April 28 that Bruce Edwards would succeed Don Faul as chief executive on May 4, The Barbell Spin reported. Edwards previously served as CrossFit’s chief operating officer from 2013 to 2019, the same broad period in which Pavlina led human resources. (thebarbellspin.com) Edwards said at the time that he was returning because he believed in “where we can go next” and that the company had the opportunity to “build something even stronger and bring the benefits of CrossFit to more people around the world.” The Barbell Spin also reported that Berkshire Partners was no longer seeking new ownership at that time. (thebarbellspin.com) ### What does the chief people officer role cover here? The Barbell Spin’s report identified Pavlina’s new title as chief people officer, a role typically centered on staffing, leadership development, workplace culture and broader people operations. The report did not detail a formal start date or publish a separate CrossFit statement laying out her responsibilities. That description is an inference from the title and from her prior human-resources role, rather than a direct company job specification. (thebarbellspin.com) CrossFit’s public-facing sites continue to show the company active across both its affiliate business and the 2026 CrossFit Games season. The leadership change lands while the organization is also running the 2026 Semifinals competition calendar. ### What comes next at CrossFit? May 20 is the date attached to The Barbell Spin’s report on Pavlina’s return, and May 4 was Edwards’ first official day as chief executive, according to the same outlet. (thebarbellspin.com) The next public signs of the change are likely to come through CrossFit leadership communications, hiring activity or additional corporate announcements as Edwards builds out his team. (games.crossfit.com)