Our industry experts

Michelle Furniss
General Manager, APAC, certified group fitness instructor and personal trainer
Michelle has worked for Xplor Technologies in various commercial and management roles for the past 10 years, originally started leading account management, before becoming Chief Commercial Officer – Australia/New Zealand, and then being promoted to General Manager, Coach, responsible for leading our personal training software business globally. Now as General Manager – Australia/New Zealand she leads sales, marketing, account management and customer services, responsible for over 5,000 customers and a team of 100+ colleagues.
Before joining Xplor, Michelle studied at RMIT in Melbourne, Australia, and spent her earlier career working in web programming and IT system management before training with Les Mills, Premier Training International, Power Plate Academy, Fitness Industry of Australia, YMCA Fitness, the Australian Institute of Health and Fitness, and the London School of Sports Massage. As a certified coach, group fitness instructor and remedial massage therapist, Michelle then spent 10+ years working in the fitness industry in London, UK, delivering group fitness, personal training, and managing health clubs. With a wealth of industry experience in fitness, tech and payments, Michelle is passionate about helping fitness professionals and businesses deliver exceptional experiences and create lasting communities.
Based in Melbourne, Australia, Michelle enjoys spending time with her family and two dachshunds outside of work – and she loves all things outdoors, having run several marathons and hiked Everest Base Camp. Michelle is also fluent in Bahasa Malaysia and Cantonese.
Certifications: Diploma in Sport & Remedial Massage, International Program Instructor (Body Attack, Body Pump, Body Balance, RPM), Power Plate Instruction, Advanced Diploma in Personal Training, Certificate III in Fitness (Fitness Instructor), Spin Instructor, Aerobics Instructor.
Michelle is located in Melbourne, Australia.

Shayan Azizbaeigi
Senior Vice President Product
Shayan has worked for Xplor Technologies in various product development and management roles for the past 14 years, having originally started in billing, before moving to technical business analysis, managing the team, and then all product development Xplor Recreation. As we entered new markets, Shayan also expanded his remit, becoming the global product lead for Xplor Recreation, before being promoted again to manage all our fitness and wellbeing SaaS products globally. In this role, Shayan leads product and innovation, testing, UX and CX, for Xplor Mariana Tek, Xplor Gym, Xplor Recreation, and Xplor Triib – leading a team of 50+ colleagues, serving over 41,000 locations.
Before joining Xplor, Shayan studied systems engineering at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada, and then spent his earlier career working in software testing and product innovation for Blackberry. With his wealth of fit-tech experience, Shayan is passionate about helping fitness and wellbeing businesses streamline their operations and deliver exceptional experiences.
Based in Vancouver, Canada, outside of work Shayan has worked as a martial arts instructor, competed in kickboxing tournaments, and stayed active in the community by coaching soccer for the last eight years.

Libby Bradley Burton
Account Executive and comprehensive Pilates and Yoga Instructor
Having been active her whole life, Libby started her career with competitive gymnastics and pole vaulting while at the University of North Carolina. After injuries, she discovered Pilates and Yoga as a way to strengthen and balance out, which was very different to the weight training she was used to. With a new machine and a love for both traditional and modern Pilates, Libby then certified in Balanced Body Pilates and Yoga Teacher Training 200 HR and has spent the last 15 years working in fitness programming and sales and pursuing a balanced wellness lifestyle. During this time, she created her own teacher training program for PBX and was contracted by a large gym in the southeast (35 locations, 2,000 instructors) to overhaul their group fitness programs. Not only did she create two signature programs that are still used today (Define, a combination of Barre and Pilates with bands and sliders, and Intensity, a combination of Strength and HIIT); she also delivered their teacher training and overhauled their branding.
Libby also ran her own boutique fitness studio for eight years, specializing in high-intensity Pilates, before choosing to redirect her focus to fit-tech in 2019 when she joined Xplor Technologies. Libby’s passion for fitness lies not just in our muscles but also our minds, because she believes the social and community part of group fitness is like nothing else. At Xplor, Libby combines her experience as a studio owner and fitness instructor and her love for fit tech to help studios and health clubs learn how to run their businesses better. Libby is based in North Carolina, United States.
Certifications: Balanced Body Pilates Apparatus Comprehensive Certification, Pre- and Post-Natal Pilates Certifications, Prana Vinyasa Flow Yoga Teacher Training 200 HR, 305 Fitness Cardio Dance Certification, Barre Certification, General Group Fitness Certification.

Amber Croghan
Customer Support Specialist and certified group fitness instructor
Having joined Xplor Technologies in 2021, Amber is responsible for serving fitness studios with all their fit-tech needs. She loves creating a sense of community and being able to impart her field knowledge and expertise to fitness studios and health clubs. Growing up in the musical theater world and earning a bachelor’s in fine arts in musical theater, Amber performed off-Broadway in New York and regionally for 10 years. After severing her ACL during a final dance audition for Grease, Amber sought recovery in fitness. She spent a lot of time in a barre studio rehabbing her injury, consistently trying to get her knee to do what it once did. After months of classes, Amber realized: if she were there, she might as well teach, too!
This was the start of her journey in fitness: Amber earned a NASM certification in Exhale Barre and [solidcore] and trained in the Lagree method. And for the last 10 years, she has been an instructor at brands like SLT and Exhale in New York City and the Hamptons, and Studio Lagree, Exhale and [solidcore] in Chicago. She has worked both front and back of house in studios – from scheduling and audio repair, to instructing private sessions and group sessions of 50+. With this expertise in operations, she offers a fresh, unique perspective to studios looking to improve and grow their business.
Outside of work, Amber is a Senior Master Coach at [solidcore], based in Illinois, United States. She also likes to travel and spend time with her husband and her husky.
Certifications: NASM certification in Exhale Barre, trained in the Lagree method, trained in [solidcore] method.

Wes Hight
Research Lead and certified group fitness instructor
With an eye for detail and a passion for fitness, Wes has carved out a unique career in both photography and fitness spanning 10+ years. His journey into fitness started when he was in high school and weighed over 300lbs. Determined to make a lifestyle change, he hit the ground running, literally – running three miles a day, and eventually losing over 115lbs.
Wes started working in the fitness industry in 2015, originally at lululemon and then Barry’s Bootcamp, where he ran their Nashville location as Studio Manager, before moving to Chicago to spearhead their entry into the Midwest market. After leading the migration of Barry’s onto Xplor Mariana Tek, Wes joined Xplor Technologies in 2019, working as a Support Specialist. During this time, he secured his fitness certification, and then started teaching group fitness classes combining strength training with cycling, at his local studio in DC. After a few years, Wes was promoted to UX researcher, where he is responsible for gathering user insights to improve our cloud-based SaaS fitness software.
Outside of work, Wes leads HIIT classes three times a week at Ripped in Philadelphia, PA.
Certifications: Group Fitness (ACE Fitness).

Michelle Van Horn
Head of Global Technology Partnerships, and a certified Yoga Instructor
Michelle is responsible for technology partnerships, professional services and account development for Xplor Technologies’ “everyday life” verticals. She joined Xplor when BrandBot was acquired in 2020 and has pioneered product strategy for our fit-tech solutions, services, and new products since then.
With a Bachelor of Science from the University of Missouri-Columbia, Michelle started her tech career at an e-commerce company servicing enterprise retailers. She then moved into fitness technology software and has spent the last ten years working in technology partner management, field marketing, and business development roles.
Outside of work Michelle teaches yoga classes at CorePower Yoga, is a business mentor for the YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund and is navigating her new role as a mom to two daughters. She is based in Massachusetts, United States.
Fitness certifications: Yoga Alliance, Yoga Sculpt.

Shannon Tracey
Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Xplor Mariana Tek at Xplor Technologies
Shannon leads our global sales and marketing teams, and is responsible for serving boutique fitness studios with all of their Fit-Tech needs. With 14+ years’ experience in SaaS technology and fitness, Shannon is passionate about helping studios use technology to transform their business, elevate their brand, and deliver an exceptional consumer experience. Shannon joined Xplor Technologies as the first sales executive for Xplor Mariana Tek in 2017 and was instrumental in building the sales operation and winning key accounts, before Xplor Mariana Tek was acquired in 2019.
Before joining Xplor Technologies, Shannon spent seven years at Flywheel Sports, as an early hire, launching 26 new locations across the U.S in her role as VP of Operations. Earlier in her career, Shannon managed the original SoulCycle studio in New York City. Shannon has a degree in Psychology from the University of North Carolina and is now based in East Hampton, NY. Outside of work Shannon enjoys time with her family, especially with her two young daughters, Nora and Kira.