Fitness tech group eGym has appointed Sir George Buckley as its new chair.

Sir George's distinguished corporate career includes a stint as CEO of Brunswick Corporation, the parent company for a number of fitness equipment brands – including Life Fitness, Cybex, Hammer Strength, Scifit and Indoor Cycling.

Following his tenure at Brunswick, he steered US conglomerate 3M (famous for Post-it notes and Scotch tape) from 2005 to 2012. He was credited with increasing the market value of the company from US$60bn to US$150bn.

Sir George is currently chair of the $13bn revenue industrial tool manufacturer Stanley Black & Decker business and sits on the boards of soft drinks giant PepsiCo and tech firm Hitachi.

"We were looking for an experienced corporate leader who is very familiar with fast-growing companies and can help guide us as we grow the company towards market leadership and possibly an IPO in a few years," said Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer, eGym co-founder and CEO.

"George has a stellar track record as the long-time CEO of 3M Corporation as well as a clear understanding of fitness technology and the importance of corporate fitness.”

Sir George will join existing board members Tom Proulx, co-founder of software company Intuit; Irena Goldenberg of Highland Capital Europe; and Manfred Krikke of HPE Growth Capital – as well as co-founders Philipp Roesch Schlanderer and Florian Sauter – on the eGym board.

“With its unique products, eGym has a great opportunity to change the way people around the world perceive health," Sir George said.

"Philipp and his team have already done a great job and we can look forward to several additional new and exciting products that will change the lives of many people. eGym is an extremely fast-growing company and its innovative power will ultimately benefit our entire society.”

eGym’s cloud-based technology for fitness and health equipment is used by 10,000 gyms and health facilities in Europe and the US.