Melanie Whelan is an American businesswoman who served as CEO of SoulCycle from 2015 until November 2019. Prior to joining SoulCycle in 2012, Whelan was vice president of business development for Equinox Fitness.

Soul Cycle, a New York City-based fitness company, offers indoor cycling workout classes in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Before stepping up as CEO, Whelan served as the brand's COO for four years, focused on scaling the company's operation 7 to more than 70 studios. She also led the company's initial public offering (IPO).

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, Whelan led the development of both the Pure Yoga and Blink brands under the Equinox umbrella.

In 2002, Whelan 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.

Whelan graduated from 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.

She 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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