Melanie Whelan is the Chief Executive Officer of SoulCycle, a New York City-based fitness company that offers indoor cycling workout classes in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Prior to her CEO appointment, Melanie served as the brand's COO for four years, focused on scaling the company's operation 7 to more than 70 studios.

Prior to SoulCycle, Whelan was the Vice President of Business Development at Equinox, a luxury fitness & lifestyle company based out of New York City. In addition to being integral in the Equinox acquisition of SoulCycle, Melanie led the development of both the Pure Yoga and Blink brands under the Equinox umbrella.

In 2002, Melanie joined Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group as VP of Corporate Development where she worked on the team that launched U.S. based airline Virgin America.

Melanie graduated Brown University in 1999 with a degree in Engineering and Economics. She began her career on the Corporate Development team at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, a Fortune 500 company with lifestyle brands including the St. Regis, W, Westin, Sheraton and Le Meridien.

Melanie was named one of Fortune’s 40 Under 40 in 2015, Crain's New York 40 Under 40 in 2016, and Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business in 2017. She is a member of the board of the GO Project in New York and a member of the YPO Metro New York chapter.

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