Daily media: major exits at CK and McQueen, willow Lindley departs WSJ, kyle Schaffler moves to Equinox, and more! The top exits, new hires, and agency signs in the fashion and media world. Seán McGirr'/Kyle Schaffler (Courtesy) Seán McGirr, Creative Director at Alexander McQueen is leaving his role. Veronica Leoni, Creative Director at Calvin Klein Collection is leaving her role. Kyle Schaffler is now Senior Director of Public Relations, Communications, and Events at Equinox. Kendall Jenner is expanding her role with Revolve Group. She is now Global Creative Director at Fwrd and a Revolve Los Angeles Ambassador. John Demsey and Gap Inc. are parting ways. Bruno Pavlovsky has resigned from the Chanel board. Jean-Marc Bellaiche is now CEO at Douglas Group. He replaces Sander van der Laan, who is retiring. Willow Lindley, WSJ Style Director, is leaving the publication. Meline Agabaian is now PR Director at Mother Denim. Sean Harrington is now partner at Lempriere Wells. Lark-Marie Anton is now Chief Communications Officer at Authentic Brands. Jameela Lake is now Press Director at Moncler. Ana Mihaljevic is now CEO at Smythe. Aurelian Lis is stepping down as CEO at Dermalogica. Pat Geraghty is now CEO at DannijoPro. Elizabeth Rutledge, CMO at American Express, is retiring. Melissa Welch is now SVP, Client Services at BMF. Morgenthal Frederics has announced DITA founders and eyewear veterans, John Juniper and Jeff Solorio, as its new Creative Directors. Melissa Hu is now Senior Account Executive at TCPR. Jess Yoo is now PR Manager at LaPointe. Ambassador roles. Josh Hart is now US Fragrance Ambassador for I WILL Eau de Parfum. Megan Thee Stallion is now Celebrity Ambassador at Gymshark. Plus! Kim Jones is launching his own namesake label next year. Numerous signs from Magrino- Le Mas des Poiriers; The London, a Luxury Collection Hotel New York City; Maison Métier; Mangia's; The Ocean Club, a Four Seasons Resort, Bahamas; and Surety Hotel joined the agency this summer and early fall. CCPR is now representing Boglioli Milano. ICA is now representing Cindy Nguyen. BPCM is now representing Krug & Ruinart. Collective is now representing Joseph Ejiro. Creative Talent is now representing Kailyn Shepherd. Breitling, the Swiss watchmaker and official timepiece partner of the NFL, has been named a partner of the New York Giants. Send submissions to [email protected]

Equinox opens its second resort on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea. 16/10/2026 Equinox Resort AMAALA is now officially welcoming guests at Marina Village on Triple Bay, inside the AMAALA destination on Saudi Arabia's north western Red Sea shore. The resort comes from London-based Foster + Partners with interiors from New York-based Rockwell Group, Red Sea Global is the developer, and the whole stay is designed for training and recovery. It is the brand's second hotel ever and its first outside the United States. Until now, an Equinox hotel meant a single address, Hudson Yards in New York, open since 2019. The brand skipped an American follow-up entirely and put its second site inside one of Saudi Arabia's largest tourism builds, and Red Sea Global announced the opening as Equinox's first step beyond U.S. soil. Seven years separate the two hotels. The second one sits on a bay instead of a rail yard. Foster + Partners and Rockwell Group carry the training-and-recovery focus into all 128 keys, which run across six accommodation categories topped by two penthouse suites. Every key wires in circadian lighting and acoustic isolation to protect the nervous system and lower stress hormones, so the recovery program starts in the room rather than the spa. Another 21 branded residences sit alongside the hotel. That recovery continues in the roughly 17,200-square-foot spa, where the Equinox X Circuit, the brand's proprietary seven-stage recovery journey, moves guests through cryotherapy, infrared sauna, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, hydrotherapy, and contrast-temperature therapy. About 7,600 square feet of indoor and outdoor fitness space sits beside it, in addition to four outdoor pools. The one on the roof is a magnesium salt pool beneath an open-air oculus, with its own bar and café. Michelin-starred Chef Akrame Benallal oversees the resort's four culinary concepts, blending French technique with regional flavors. Soho Souk is the all-day restaurant, where Levant-inspired sharing plates come out of wood-fired ovens and Josper grills. Sama Ai handles fine dining, pairing Japanese precision with local ingredients, with a Temaki Bar and a Matcha Bar of its own. Mint + Co. doubles as café and boutique, with superfood coffees, teas, and healthy snacks. EQX Den rounds out the spa, serving evening mocktails infused with adaptogens and desert botanicals. As of May 2025, eight new resorts were headed to AMAALA, including Rosewood AMAALA, Four Seasons Resort and Residences AMAALA, and Six Senses AMAALA, names that built their programs around retreat and restoration. Equinox arrives with a hotel organized around training and recovery instead. Its next stop is already on the books: the brand has announced a Caribbean debut, which would give it a third hotel after Hudson Yards and Triple Bay.Watch

Fintech unicorn Bilt partners with Equinox on rewards. Aug 20, 2026 at 10:47 am Bilt, a rewards platform for renters, and luxury gym chain Equinox have launched a joint membership benefit that lets Bilt members earn points toward Equinox classes and spa services. Bilt is an American firm that provides tenants with the opportunity to earn bonus points by simply paying rent - a service that most reward programs do not cover. Points earned from payments (called Bilt Points) are redeemable in the travel, dining, and lifestyle markets. Bilt was established in 2021 and already partners with landlords from over seven million properties in the US, while also becoming one of the most financed fintech startups in the country. Among the ten most valuable and best-funded US fintech unicorns tracked in Forbes' 2026 Fintech 50 list, Bilt is a membership and loyalty program for renters that allows members to earn rewards on rent and homeowner association payments. Its valuation exceeded $10,7B in 2025 after a $250M funding round. A new partner of the firm is Equinox, which is a luxury gym and spa chain that was established in 1991 and is available in various major cities around the world, such as New York, Los Angeles, and London. The new partnership, called "Bilt for the Committed," connects the two companies' membership systems. Thanks to a new feature on the Bilt app called Bilt Neighborhood Concierge, members are now able to redeem their Bilt Cash for credits on personal training sessions, spa treatments, and Pilates classes at Equinox. They can also browse all Equinox classes and book their appointments through the app without ever having to leave it. New Equinox members joining the club through the Bilt app will get three offers to enjoy as new members: 10,000 Bilt Points, one personal training session at no cost, and a 50-minute spa treatment at no cost. For a limited time, members who check in at an Equinox club during the campaign are entered into a drawing for one month of free rent and one month of covered Equinox membership dues. Ten additional winners will receive a free spa service or training session. "Equinox has long defined health and wellness as a cornerstone of how people live, perform, and thrive," said Harvey Spevak, Executive Chairman and Managing Partner, Equinox Group. "Through our partnership with Bilt, we're creating new pathways for members to access the experiences and environments that support a high-performance lifestyle. It's a natural evolution at the intersection of luxury living and performance." "The home is the center of how people live and some of the best neighborhoods have always had an Equinox at the heart of them," commented Ankur Jain, Founder and CEO, Bilt. "This partnership is about making world-class wellness a natural part of the connected neighborhood life Bilt is building. Now with Equinox, our members have seamless access to premium fitness and wellness experiences right where they live." The deal is another example of a rewards company extending beyond payments into physical, subscription-based services and turning routine transactions like rent into access to non-financial products. By adopting fintech solutions, gyms can also improve operational efficiency, enhance member satisfaction, and ensure robust financial management. Nina bobro. 2151 Posts Nina is passionate about financial technologies and environmental issues, reporting on the industry news and the most exciting projects that build their offerings around the intersection of fintech and sustainability.