Stephanie Miller

Alberto Perlman is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zumba, the global dance fitness brand that has grown from a small class format into a multi-billion dollar movement with millions of active participants across more than 180 countries. He leads the company's long-term strategy, global partnership development, and brand expansion, working to keep Zumba accessible and inclusive for people of all ages, fitness levels, and backgrounds.

Before launching Zumba, Perlman built a foundation in entrepreneurship and business development, with a keen interest in scalable, community-focused consumer offerings. He partnered with Colombian dancer and aerobics instructor Alberto "Beto" Perez, who had developed the improvised dance fitness routine that would become the basis of Zumba, to formalize the program into a licensable, structured brand in the early 2000s.

The pair officially launched Zumba in 2001, initially targeting fitness studios and independent instructors with choreographed routines, curated music, and certification programs. Unlike traditional rigid gym offerings, Zumba leaned into low-pressure, joyful movement that felt more like a social event than a workout, a differentiator that helped it spread rapidly through word-of-mouth. Perlman prioritized building a robust partner ecosystem, licensing the brand to instructors, gyms, and media partners, which fueled exponential global growth without requiring the company to own every physical location offering classe…