Spafinder Wellness has appointed Claudia Rimerman as senior vice president for corporate group and wellness, as the company moves to strengthen its position in what it sees as a strong area for growth.

The US-based wellness industry company – which covers media, marketing and gifting – believes employee and corporate wellness offerings possess untapped potential, as companies strive to reign in health care costs and increase employee productivity by offering incentives for adopting healthier lifestyles, such as participating in weight loss, stress reduction or smoking cessation programmes.

In the newly created position, Rimerman, who previously held management roles at AIG, UnitedHealth Group, Humana Inc. and Corporate Health Systems, will lead the company’s Corporate Wellness 365 division and develop incentive products and partnerships that support employee wellness programs.

The division offers incentives and gift cards that can be redeemed at more than 20,000 locations including spas; fitness, yoga and pilates studios, and travel destinations in the company’s partner network.

Spafinder CEO and chairman Pete Ellis believes the emphasis on employee wellbeing makes Corporate Wellness 365 an attractive prospect to companies.

He said: “Unlike rewards or incentives that can potentially be used for activities that have a negative impact on health, our offering is completely aligned with what companies are trying to accomplish with wellness programmes.”