Peloton Seeks CMO as Marketing Head Exits

Peloton is now seeking to hire its first chief marketing officer since the company went public in 2019, a spokesman said, following Ms. Treseder’s resignation, which was first reported by the New York Times. Peloton briefly hired a chief marketing officer in 2016, but months later decided to place its marketing function under the purview of the chief commercial officer, the spokesman said.

The search comes as Chief Executive Barry McCarthy, who took over the job in February, plots a comeback for Peloton following a quarterly loss of $1.2 billion and a 30% fall in revenues reported in August.

The at-home fitness company, which witnessed staggering growth after gyms closed during the pandemic in 2020, has struggled to keep demand for its connected workout equipment and interactive classes alight in the face of gyms reopening and consumers’ tightening budgets.

Mr. McCarthy in August told investors that while the health of the Peloton brand remains “exquisitely good,” he sees ample opportunity for the company to turn more consumers onto its offerings—particularly when it comes products outside of its core stationary bike, such as its treadmill, rowing machine and digital app.

“The opportunity for us now is to invest in growing awareness,” he said. “The important thing to recognize is that the path to success involves having more swings at the plate.”

Co-founder and executive chairman John Foley left the business earlier this month alongside Chief Legal Officer Hisao Kushi and Chief Commercial Officer Kevin Cornils. Peloton doesn’t plan to refill the commercial chief position, a move that, coupled with the CMO headhunt, signifies Mr. McCarthy’s vision to rewrite Peloton’s C-suite roles.

Peloton saw its membership base grow from around 2.6 million to more than 6.9 million during Ms. Treseder’s tenure, the spokesman for the company said.

“We value Dara and are grateful for everything she has done,” a company statement read. “We wish her the very best.”

Ms. Treseder will oversee Autodesk’s company’s worldwide marketing, brand and communications in her new role, according to a company press release.

Ms. Treseder, who oversaw marketing for 3-D printing company Carbon prior to Peloton, said she was particularly attracted to the company’s multinational reach and its use among those designing sustainability solutions.

“There aren’t many Black C-suite leaders in tech, so I’m really excited to start,” she said.

Write to Katie Deighton at [email protected]

Corrections & Amplifications
Peloton has hired a chief marketing officer in the past. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said Peloton is looking to hire its first ever chief marketing officer. (Corrected on Sept. 26)