Rotary Joins Kiwanis with Revlon CEO Michelle Peluso SHaring Insights on Leading with Purpose
RCB President Jeff Stone and Kiwanis Club of Birmingham President John Saxon with Michelle Peluso
This week, the Rotary Club of Birmingham (RCB) joined the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham for a joint meeting with featured speaker Michelle Peluso, CEO of Revlon Group Holdings LLC, who presented "Leading with Purpose: Six Powerful Leadership Principles." Peluso, who brings decades of experience leading global brands including Travelocity, Gilt, IBM, and CVS Health before joining Revlon, shared her leadership philosophy and candid stories from a career built on innovation and people-first leadership. She stressed the importance of living aligned to your North Star, leading for the betterment of others, embracing curiosity, and editing to amplify—offering practical insights on balancing results with humanity and joy in leadership.
Bio for Michelle Peluso
Michelle Peluso is Chief Executive Officer of Revlon Group Holdings LLC and a member of its Board of Directors. She is spearheading a bold evolution of the company, championing consumer centricity, harnessing her deep experience in digital and technology to drive innovation, and cultivating a culture of leaders exceptional in both craft and character. As a seasoned brand-builder, she is passionate about unlocking the full potential of Revlon’s powerful collection of brands, ensuring they remain deeply loved for generations of beauty and wellness consumers to come.
Prior to Revlon, Ms. Peluso was the Executive Vice President and Chief Customer and Experience Officer at CVS Health where she oversaw the end-to-end consumer experience across all channels, including leading the brand and marketing efforts. She also previously served as co-President, Pharmacy and Consumer Wellness where she transformed the retail business across 9,000 stores.
Prior to joining CVS Health, Ms. Peluso was Senior Vice President, Digital Sales and Chief Marketing Officer at IBM from 2016 to 2021. She oversaw marketing, digital sales, client experience, and the commercial business, globally.
Before joining IBM, Ms. Peluso served as Chief Executive Officer of online shopping destination Gilt Groupe, Inc. (“Gilt”) from 2013 until its sale to Hudson’s Bay Company in 2016. She also served on Gilt’s Board of Directors from 2009 to 2016.
Before Gilt, Ms. Peluso served as Global Consumer Chief Marketing and Internet Officer of Citigroup Inc. She was the CEO of Travelocity and the Founder and CEO of Site59, an online travel site that Travelocity acquired. She started her career as a consultant and case leader at the Boston Consulting Group in New York.
Ms. Peluso earned a BA in economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and an MA in philosophy, politics, and economics from Pembroke College at Oxford University as a Thouron Scholar. She is a White House Fellow and served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Labor. She is also a member of The Conference Board’s Committee for Economic Development. Ms. Peluso serves on the Boards of Nike and Save the Children US.