Sarah Powell

General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Planet Fitness

Last Reviewed: October 1, 2026

Executive Summary

Sarah Powell is General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Planet Fitness, the company’s chief lawyer since November 2025. She brings more than 25 years of in-house legal leadership, almost all of it in franchising and multi-unit retail. For about a decade she was general counsel of GoTo Foods, the parent of franchise brands from Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon to Moe’s Southwest Grill. Before that she spent thirteen years as general counsel of the public company Advance Auto Parts. Planet Fitness is a public franchisor, so the job combines both: franchise law and compliance across thousands of independently owned clubs, plus the governance and disclosure work of a listed company.

Career Highlights

• General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Planet Fitness since 17 November 2025, reporting to Chief Executive Colleen Keating.
• Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of GoTo Foods, formerly Focus Brands, from 2015 until joining Planet Fitness.
• Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of Advance Auto Parts from 2002 to 2015.
• Earlier held legal roles at Delhaize America.
• J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law.

Professional Journey

Powell earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Virginia and a J.D. at Washington and Lee University School of Law. Earlier in her career she held roles at Delhaize America.

In 2002 she became Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of Advance Auto Parts, the publicly traded automotive aftermarket parts retailer. She held the role for thirteen years and was responsible for all of the company’s legal matters and its business, legal and compliance strategy.

In 2015 she moved to Focus Brands, later renamed GoTo Foods, as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. GoTo Foods is a global parent company and developer of franchisor brands. Her remit covered business, legal and compliance strategy for all of them: Moe’s Southwest Grill, McAlister’s Deli, Schlotzsky’s, Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, Jamba and Carvel, plus Seattle’s Best Coffee in certain international markets.

Planet Fitness announced her appointment in November 2025. Its Investor Day deck that month listed her on the executive leadership slide, marked as starting on 17 November. She reports directly to Chief Executive Colleen Keating, who called her “a results-driven leader with extensive experience advancing key organizational initiatives, mitigating complex risks, and building high-performing teams”. Powell said she was proud to join a company with “a purpose-led mission” and the opportunity to bring affordable access to fitness.

As Corporate Secretary she signed the notice of the company’s 2026 annual meeting and was named one of the proxy holders for it. She also signed the company’s June 2026 current report to the SEC announcing the new Chief Financial Officer.

Education

Washington and Lee University School of Law

J.D.

University of Virginia

Bachelor’s degree