Management

Tony Baylis joined Merrithew in January 2002, bringing 17 years of professional business experience in various senior roles within the entertainment industry. Most recently he held the position of President, Balmur Corus Music Inc. and also executive produced award-winning television specials for broadcast in Canada and the United States.

Today he takes a leadership role in helping guide the company's strategic plans through its domestic and international growth. Thus far, he has been instrumental in structuring the company's operations and management resources and systems; overseeing all business affairs; executive producing the company's newest video lines – and aggressively pursuing and analyzing new business opportunities.

Tony has a Bachelor of Commerce, Honours Finance, from Dalhousie University and is a Chartered Accountant.

Viral was appointed Vice-President in 2012 and provides leadership for all product design, engineering and manufacturing along with procurement growth. He continues to oversee a staff of 45 across metal fabrication, upholstery, carpentry, assembly and shipping/receiving departments. Viral has also been instrumental in the development of an MRP (Material Resource Planning) system and has assisted in the research, design, development and production of the Merrithew Equipment line.

Prior to joining Merrithew in 1996, Viral was Director of Production for BASQ International, a Montreal-based company specializing in packaging design and manufacturing for major packaged goods companies. Before emigrating from India to Canada, he was a practicing mechanical engineer with GSFC, one of the country's largest fertilizer and chemical companies.

Viral holds a Mechanical Engineering Degree from India's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University.

Beth Gibbs-Bartel plays a leadership role in executing the company’s corporate strategic plan; overseeing revenue strategy, growth, and global expansion. Responsible for boosting revenue-driving departments, she collaboratively works to maximize performance, partnerships and the customer experience across multiple product lines.

Beth oversees Merrithew’s domestic and international sales of B2B and B2C equipment, fitness accessories and Global Hosting education training.

Prior to joining Merrithew in 2004, she was a Senior Vice-President with KOCH Entertainment Inc. Beth is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University and completed a Masters Certificate in Sales Leadership from the Schulich School of business at York University.

Meghan leads Merrithew’s marketing, eCommerce, and brand strategy to drive revenue, increase growth and build awareness of the commercial and retail sales and education programs.

Before joining Merrithew, Meghan built her fifteen years of experience working agency-side, client-side, and in-house managing major brands, accounts, and international launch strategies — including Small Luxury Hotels of the World, American Express, and the New York Tourism Board. This global and national experience earns Meghan a unique cross-cultural perspective that serves Merrithew’s ever-growing global community.

Meghan holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University. She has also achieved certificates in marketing and leadership from institutions including the London School of Business and Finance and Cornell University.

Dave joined Merrithew in 2018, bringing 20 years’ relevant experience in both operational and corporate finance roles.

Dave is a CPA, CA by training beginning his professional career at PwC after which he transitioned into industry and has spent the majority of his career working for GTA based industry leaders (Celestica and Cinram).

A seasoned finance leader, Dave brings a diverse set of experiences managing and leading change during periods of growth, acquisitions, reorganizations, profit optimization, and more.

Dave enjoys working closely with operating teams, providing strong leadership while challenging the status quo to continuously improve while enhancing financial reporting leveraging information technology and incorporating critical operating metrics to help guide the business forward. Dave has a BA, Economics from Western University, and a Graduate Diploma in Public Accountancy from McGill University.

As a member of the Senior Management team, Cindy brings over 20 years of experience in strategic marketing, international business development and global strategic sourcing to Merrithew. Cindy has contributed to the company’s product portfolio expansion through effective international sourcing strategy and execution since she joined the company in 2011.

Over the last 8 years, she has led the company’s education hosting sales in Asia, resulting in impressive growth. Since 2022, she has led the Global Hosting Team to develop and manage the company’s global network of Host Training Centers worldwide, delivering remarkable business results year over year.

Prior to joining Merrithew, Cindy was a management consultant in Go-to-market strategy and Global Strategic Sourcing and is a subject matter expert in doing business with China and in international sourcing. She was a featured speaker to 400 business leaders at the 3rd Canada China Business Forum in “Doing Business in China” in 2009. Cindy has held senior executive positions at Genesis Worldwide Inc. and PharmEng Technology Inc. and has served in a national business leadership capacity in strategic marketing with Philips and Glaxo (GSK) in China.

She holds an MBA in Marketing from ESLSCA, France and a BA from Sichuan International Studies University in English, China.

Kristen Gill joined Merrithew in 2006 and is responsible for the sponsorships, partnerships and events in which the company participates and produces. As part of the marketing team, she plays an integral role in working with current, and seeking out new strategic partnerships within the health and fitness industry, as well as managing the event marketing and logistics components that come with both our internal and external events.

Kristen brings over 20 years event management experience within the health and fitness industry where she worked with organizations such as the International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) and the Mid-Atlantic Club Management Association (MACMA) managing annual conventions and trade shows and working with exhibitors and sponsors alike.

Kristen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science and is an active member of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) as well as the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and holds the Certified Meeting Professional designation through the Convention Industry Council.

Yaga joined Merrithew in 2019. She brought over 10 years of experience in the digital creative space. Throughout this time she has worked on a wide variety of projects ranging from bridging physical and digital spaces, mobile apps, desktop, responsive web and digital CRM to branding, print and motion design.

Both her commercial and personal work have been recognized internationally at award shows (W3, WMA, Awwwards) and in magazines (multiple feature in the "Advanced Photoshop" and "Imagine FX"). Her artwork has been used as matte backgrounds in documentary movies as well as book and music album covers. She also held two gallery exhibitions in 2010 and 2012.

Yaga worked on projects for: Aldo, Boston Pizza, Canadian Tire, Chrysler, Cineplex, Delta Hotels & Resorts, Dodge, Guess, Harley Davidson, Home Depot, Hyundai Canada, Jeep, Marc Ecko, Miller Coors, Ontario Lottery and Gaming, Porsche, Royal Bank of Canada, Second Cup and Timex.

Yaga holds Masters of Arts degree from University of Warsaw and a Diploma in Graphic Design from Humber College.

She is also a certified fitness instructor and a personal trainer by Can Fit Pro and soon to be a holder of a diploma in Holistic Nutrition from Canadian School of Natural Nutrition.

Jason Nip joined Merrithew in 2014 with over 15 years of experience in industrial design. As the Director of Product Development and Design, he is responsible for overseeing the design direction of retail equipment and products. His goal is to continue to develop cohesive brand and product offerings that focus on health and wellness and to drive innovation at Merrithew.

Jason started his design career in 2002 at Umbra ltd. designing various products for the home as well as working overseas directly with manufacturers. With experience that includes prototyping, product design, manufacturing, packaging and development, he is able to combine these skills with his personal interests in martial arts, sports, exercise, and well-being at Merrithew.

Jason holds a Bachelor of Applied Technology, Industrial Design from Humber College in Toronto.

As the Senior Director of Digital Technology, Dan is responsible for discovering and guiding how the usage of new and existing technologies can be leveraged to best serve the business now, and into the future. Dan calls upon his many years of software development experience including management and leadership roles to plan and deliver solutions that matter. With the IT department reporting to Dan, their aggregate bench strength spans infrastructure to multi-discipline development technologies. These varying skills have allowed his team to successfully implement new systems, digital processes and technologies company-wide with minimal downtime.

Having attended Niagara College and obtained an advanced Computer Programmer Analyst Diploma, Dan finds that people can be the most fascinating aspect to a solution. Given this interest, Dan has attended Schulich School of Business to learn more about the practices of Mindful Management and how it applies to his role as Senior Director of Digital Technology.