Michelle Peluso (Am’93), CEO of Revlon and Thouron Alum, had one of many surprising and transformative experiences with our Award. Growing up in New York City, she already had the lived experience of major metropolitan life and that continued when Michelle went off to the University of Pennsylvania to study her undergraduate programme at The Wharton School.
With no limitations or fears, Michelle was eager to apply for the Thouron Award following her programme at Wharton. “I loved the whole mission and purpose of the Award — to see and understand England in a way that would make me a stronger contributor to the world, while equally forming a community that would be a support system for me personally,” she shares.
Living Boldly While at Oxford
As a Scholar, Michelle studied at Oxford University’s Pembroke College, receiving a M.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. It was during this time that she met one of her dearest and closest friends and fellow Scholar, Karen Saah (Am’93).
“Karen is amazing and has been by my side for the decades since we studied in England and lived in Senegal together! [We] had been planning to help with voter registration in South Africa during our summer between our Thouron Award years. Given significant unrest in South Africa, we had to cancel our plans and were left deeply disappointed,” Michelle recalls.
The Thouron Community stepped in and Michelle and Karen were aided by fellow Thouron Alum Sheena Stewart (Br’71) with connection to the Citigroup team in Senegal, who provided both Scholars with summer internships in Dakar. “We worked with Citi in Senegal, alongside the World Bank, and it was a transformative summer, not the least of which was inadvertently being in the Gambia during the middle of a coup,” Michelle exclaims.
It is of no surprise that Michelle credits our Award for helping to shape her as a global business leader. After graduating from Oxford, she began her career at the intersections of technology and consumers. “After my time at Oxford, I worked for the Boston Consulting Group in New York and London. Then I was a White House Fellow and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Labor,” Michelle states.
Creating a Radiant Life and Career
And then she took a leap of faith in herself and founded Site59 as the CEO. “Starting and selling Site59 and then becoming CEO of Travelocity at a young age was a watershed experience for me. I deeply learned technology, at the beginning of the digital era, which cemented my lifelong love of technology and transformation, and which set me on my career course. I had the chance to start something from scratch, deepening my love of entrepreneurship,” Michelle details.
After her time as the CEO at Travelocity, Michelle went to become the Chief Marketing and Digital Officer of Citigroup, Co-President of CVS Pharmacy, and Executive VP of CVS Health, and is now CEO of Revlon. Through her love of leadership and building culture, Michelle has indeed become a strong contributor to the world. “What I love most is helping consumer industries transform technology, while always working hard to build cultures that are curious, humble, ambitious, creative, and kind,” she shares.
Somehow Michelle still manages to make time to be a part of the Thouron Award selection committee in past years, remain involved with Pembroke College — where she was inducted as an Honorary Fellow at their 400th anniversary gala, and serve on the boards of Nike and Save the Children U.S. “Save the Children, which was founded over 100 years ago in the U.K. by a pioneering woman, Eglantyne Jebb, does incredible work for the world’s most vulnerable children, every day, everywhere. Their mission is more important than ever in this time of government aid cuts and increasing worldwide turmoil,” Michelle expresses.
Most importantly, the time spent with her husband, Marc, and their children, Auden and Cole, helps to keep Michelle’s life busy and full! Never willing to forego girlfriend time with friends, or travelling, reading, running, watching sports, and gardening, she finds ways to fill in those rare moments of downtime with her executive career.
Honouring a Strong Community
When she harkens back to the impact our Award has had on her life, Michelle thinks about the friendships and the community being a deep source of inspiration. “There are so many Alumni doing incredible things with their ‘one, precious lives,’ which is a true tribute to the mission of the Award. Through the Thouron Award, not only did I form strong friendships that last to this day with my fellow Thouron Award winners and the broader Thouron Community, but I was able to deeply experience life as a Scholar in England, which was incredibly enriching,” she states.
We hope that future Scholars have the chance to transform their world, minds, and lives as Michelle did — from studying subjects they previously knew little about, experiencing the magic of their chosen university while becoming a deeper citizen of the world as a result, to forming lifelong friendships. “And perhaps most of all, I improved my British pub game,” Michelle posits excitedly.
What Could Your Future Look Like as a Thouron Scholar?
Learn more about the Thouron Award — one of the most prestigious and generous academic scholarships in the world, offering funding and cultural exchange between the University of Pennsylvania and U.K. institutions.
Applications for the Award are open from July to October for candidates from Penn, and July to November for U.K. candidates.