Melanie Whelan is chief executive of SoulCycle, a transformative fitness experience sweeping North America. It is the premier indoor cycling and lifestyle brand which creates community fitness experiences in its 80 studios across the US and Canada. By revolutionising indoor cycling, turning it into a high-intensity full-body experience programme held in dark candlelit spaces, SoulCycle delivers high-energy results for more than 20,000 riders daily. Prior to her CEO appointment, Whelan served as the brand's COO since 2012, focusing on managing and scaling the company's operation from seven to over 70 studios. Whelan started her career on the corporate development team at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, following her graduation from Browns University in 1999 with a degree in Engineering and Economics.
In 2002 she joined Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Groupas vice president of corporate development where she worked on the team that launched the Virgin America airline. Whelan sat as vice president of business development at Equinox, a New York-based luxury fitness and lifestyle company, where she led the development of both the Pure Yoga and Blink brands under the Equinox umbrella and was integral in the acquisition of SoulCycle by Equinox. She was featured as one of Fortune’s 40 Under 40 in 2015 and Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business in 2017.