AUDREY GELMAN
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, THE WINGYou might recognize Audrey Gelman from her previous career in political communications (for Hillary
Clinton, Scott Stringer and at the firm SKDKnickerbocker), from her appearance on HBO’s Girls
(a longtime friend of Lena Dunham’s, she was the inspiration for Marnie) or maybe from last year’s
Vogue feature on her wedding to Genius co-founder and president Ilan Zechory. But if you’ve seen
Gelman’s name in the past year, it was likely in connection to her newest venture, The Wing.
Gelman, 31, and her partner Laura Kassan launched the female-only social club in Manhattan’s
Flatiron neighborhood last October. The pair was “inspired by the women’s club movement of the
late 19th century and decided to resurrect that,” Gelman explains, adding that she views the space
as a place for women to thrive when the odds seem stacked against them.
The Wing (and its Instagram-worthy décor) scored the cover of Domino and features in
publications including New York magazine, Inc., Fast Company, Elle and, of course, Adweek. But it’s
not just the media coverage that makes Gelman’s mission a success: The Wing has over 1,300
members at its original location, 8,500 potential members on the waiting list, and plans to
open new outposts in SoHo, Brooklyn and
Washington, D.C. As if that wasn’t enough,
Gelman says they have a print magazine
in the works with a kickoff issue slated
for November.
“Our dream is to have Wing
locations internationally and to create
the world’s largest network of women,”
she says. “I think The Wing is a brand
and a space with a very clear mission,
and that mission has resonated beyond
PREVIOUS PAGE: HART: CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES; THIS PAGE: GELMAN: KATIE MCCURDYour four walls.” —K.M.