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Melanie Whelan is a Managing Director of Summit Partners, a global growth equity firm. She focuses primarily on high-growth consumer and technology-enabled services.
Previously she was the Chief Executive Officer of SoulCycle. Melanie was appointed CEO of the Company in June 2015 and in this role, oversaw all aspects of the SoulCycle business. During her tenure, Melanie drove SoulCycle’s successful growth with an intent focus on innovation and hospitality. She increased the Company’s geographic footprint to more than 100 studios in 18 markets across the U.S., Canada and London. Prior to her role as CEO, Melanie served as Chief Operating Officer for the brand from 2012.
Before joining SoulCycle, Melanie was Vice President of Business Development at Equinox, where she was responsible for developing and executing brand and business extension initiatives. Prior, she also held leadership positions with Virgin Management, where she was on the founding team of Virgin America, and with Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
Melanie has been named Fortune's 40 Under 40, Crain's New York 40 Under 40, and Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business. Melanie is on the boards of publicly-traded education company Chegg (NYSE: CHGG), Southern New Hampshire University and the GO Project, a non-profit that serves academically-struggling elementary and middle public school students in New York City. She also serves on the Steering Committee of Governor Hochul's New York State Council on Women and Girls and she sits on the Advisory Board of the Brown University Economic Council and the Director's Council at Wharton’s Baker Retail Center. She is a member of the 2018 Henry Crown Fellowship at The Aspen Institute.
Melanie graduated from Brown University with a degree in Engineering and Economics. Melanie lives in downtown New York City with her husband and two children and most importantly with her dog Winston.
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