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The Wing CEO Audrey Gelman resigns amid employee ‘digital walkout’
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The Wing co-founder Audrey Gelman resigned as CEO Thursday amid outrage from employees over how the women-focused co-working space treats people of color. Gelman announced her departure amid a “digital walkout” by Wing staffers, who said her resignation was “not enough” to address the company’s problems. The Wing said Gelman will be replaced by a …
The Wing co-founder Audrey Gelman resigned as CEO Thursday amid outrage from employees over how the women-focused co-working space treats people of color.
Gelman announced her departure amid a “digital walkout” by Wing staffers, who said her resignation was “not enough” to address the company’s problems.
The Wing said Gelman will be replaced by a new “Office of the CEO” comprising co-founder and chief operating officer Lauren Kassan along with senior vice presidents Celestine Maddy and Ashley Peterson.
The company did not explain the reasons for Gelman’s resignation other than to say the shakeup will “allow us to create a sustainable business, and achieve the bold vision of advancing all women through community.”
“The past three months have brought change to our society, our culture, our business and our team in ways no one could have imagined,” The Wing said in a statement. “The Wing remains a vital resource for thousands of women navigating their path to success. But the moment calls for a rethinking of how we meet their needs moving forward and for new leadership that can guide The Wing into the future.”
Gelman did not immediately respond to messages from The Post seeking comment Thursday.
Gelman and Kassan started The Wing in 2016 as a “utopia” for professional women. But a New York Times Magazine report in March documented how employees faced racism from the club’s well-heeled members and worked long days under pressure to keep the spaces spotless.
The company also laid off almost all of its hourly employees and half the corporate staff in April after 95 percent of its revenue dried up amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to Vice News.
After The Wing announced Gelman’s resignation, several employees posted identical statements to Twitter demanding the company do more to improve. They said they were taking action “in solidarity with the people without whom The Wing would not exist — particularly our Black and brown coworkers.”
“Simply put, The Wing doesn’t practice the intersectional feminism that it preaches to the rest of the world,” the statement reads.
Additional reporting by Thornton McEnery
