We like different at Sport for Business, and on that theme, we can only tip our hat to our member ParkHIIT’s innovative approach to finding a CEO to lead an expansion from its current seven locations across Dublin.
The organisation is a social enterprise, created by wellbeing expert Brian Crooke. It provides free, community-based outdoor resistance training across Dublin, and, like any passion project, it needs to find the right person with the right level of interest in what they do to lead it to the next stage.
So, is it to be the Sport for Business Jobs page, maybe, or LinkedIn, where so much recruitment takes place these days? No, let’s do something different.
This weekend, parkHIIT will host a free historical walking tour of Stoneybatter, led by local historian Larry Healy. Open to the wider public, the event reflects parkHIIT’s broader approach to community-building, bringing together participants, leaders and local residents around shared experience and place.
Stoneybatter holds particular significance for parkHIIT’s founder, who was born and raised in the area, and the walk will blend local history with insights into the organisation’s future direction. Attendees will also hear about parkHIIT’s expansion ambitions for 2026, including the search for a new CEO to lead the next phase of growth.
And maybe, just maybe, that will light to lamp that guides somebody towards this role.
It’s placing the importance of belief and interest over the regular CV and one-page letter, and wouldn’t it be great if it works? This is not a shortcut. There is a strong board in place, and the candidate to emerge will still have to tick plenty of boxes, but for a first pass, we love it.
Founded on the principle that strength training should be accessible to everyone, parkHIIT currently operates at seven locations across Dublin. Its model aligns closely with international and national public health guidance, with both the World Health Organisation and Healthy Ireland’s Every Move Counts guidelines recommending that adults complete at least two resistance training sessions per week.
parkHIIT’s mission is to normalise and democratise strength training, particularly as populations age, while using shared physical activity to foster social connection.
The organisation’s stated goal is to expand from seven to ten active Dublin sites by December 2026.
The expansion programme will focus on five key areas: the recruitment and training of new volunteer leaders; the development of community and local partnerships; programme delivery and quality assurance across all sites; impact measurement and evaluation; and laying the foundations for national expansion from 2027 onwards. Collectively, these elements are designed to ensure that growth does not dilute quality, community ethos or measurable social impact.
To deliver the 2026 expansion, parkHIIT is actively seeking partners across corporate, public and philanthropic sectors. Opportunities include CSR and ESG-aligned investment in community health and physical activity, the potential corporate secondment of a senior leader into the CEO role, grant funding linked to health promotion or inclusion, and foundation support for grassroots wellbeing initiatives.
Sport for Business Perspective
2026 may prove to be the year that parkHIIT moves from a successful local initiative to a nationally relevant platform for community wellbeing, and it could be led by somebody who turns up for a walk around Stoneybatter on Saturday.
Image Credit: Sport for Business
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Sport for Business is Ireland’s leading platform focused on the commercial, strategic and societal impact of sport. It connects decision-makers across governing bodies, clubs, brands, agencies and public institutions through high-quality journalism, events and insight. Sport for Business explores how sport drives economic value, participation, inclusion and national identity, while holding organisations to account on governance and sustainability.
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