Chain Store Age Names 2022 Top Women in Retail
Chain Store Age honored 32 outstanding female retail executives at its 2022 Top Women in Retail awards event, which was held virtually on June 16. The program spotlights the integral role women play in key areas of retail operations and their overall contributions to the industry at large.
This year’s program recognized honorees in four categories: technology, supply chain, store development/facilities and real estate. In addition, five of the most senior executives were honored as Women of the Year.
“Our 2022 Top Women honorees are leaders in every sense of the word,” said CSA editor in chief Marianne Wilson. “Along with keeping their companies at the forefront of innovation, they are helping to advance the presence of women in senior decision-making positions across the industry.”
Here are CSA’s 2022 Women of the Year
Capichano’s leadership has been critical to the growth strategy of the company, which became an independent business in 2019.
In the first six months of operation, Capichano successfully orchestrated the relocation of 80 optical centers into new free-standing locations. This included everything from negotiating leases and executing buildouts to coordinating construction and ensuring casework and furniture availability. During the next two years, she and her team successfully supported the opening of over 40 new stores.
Glaser oversees all decisions related to Bob’s product assortment and her responsibilities run the gamut from setting strategy to sourcing to sell-through. She and her team of 20-plus merchants scour the world to spot trends and opportunities and utilize their strong supplier relationships to develop and bring to market the best furniture values to Bob’s 150 stores and online site.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Glaser led her team through extraordinary business challenges including factory shut-downs and other supply chain constraints.
Martin’s proudest career achievements have been through building teams that win together. Her approach to leadership is exemplified by the Aristotle motto, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” and her team at Neiman Marcus Group is a testament to this proposition.
Most recently, Martin and her team have been leveraging Neiman Marcus's well-established air freight capabilities to maximize the effectiveness of the supply chain during the current period of global disruption.
As the CIO of the country’s largest apparel retailer, Mickman oversees retail, e-commerce, and global enterprise technology for Gap Inc. family of brands. Her focus on quality delivery, engineering excellence, and business responsiveness contributed to Gap flawlessly managing peak demand levels during the 2021 holiday season, and continues to ensure consistently high project velocity.
Mickman is a champion of helping others advance, with an internal Women in Tech initiative geared towards developing the next generation of women leaders at Gap Inc.
Led by Moore, the Associated Wholesale Grocers technology team is helping the company — through the use of technology — transition from an $11 billion wholesale distributor to a $33 billion cooperative retailing enterprise. She and her team are working to innovate and transform the Associated Wholesale Grocers end-to-end infrastructure. Shelly always has an eye on the future of how technology can enable organizational and operational improvements to improve grocery retail’s overall cost to operate — and ensure store shelves are stocked each and every day.
Here are CSA’s 2022 Top Women in Retail honorees
Technology
Donna Arnold — senior director retail systems and IT financials, Sally Beauty: A versatile, high-impact technology leader, Arnold leads all aspects of IT business at Sally Beauty, including governance, fiscal responsibilities, portfolio management, project implementations, shared services and resource management.
Robin Beighley — VP, retail stores and operations, Fossil North America: With more than 20 years of experience in retail operations, Beighley and her team have transformed Fossil North America's frontline employee experience by creating an inclusive and positive employee experience, with an open forum for employee feedback, resulting in higher employee satisfaction, retention and engagement, as well as higher levels of customer service.
Erica Fortune — senior VP, e-commerce, Big Lots: Fortune, who leads omnichannel initiatives for the discounter, led the launch of buy online pickup in-store, same-day delivery, ship from store, curbside pick-up and Instacart marketplaces — all within a 12-month time period.
Deepthi Kapila — director (e-commerce leader) Microsoft Store Americas: As the e-commerce leader for Microsoft Store Americas, Kapila has been instrumental in delivering a seamless customer experience as the Microsoft physical store footprint closed temporarily and then permanently, with the demand shifting online.
Erin Levzow — VP, marketing digital technology, Del Taco: Levzow has a track record of lifting her teams up and helping them grow in their careers. Her recent successes include launching Del Yeah! Rewards, Del Taco’s first-ever rewards program.
Andrea Casillas — VP of e-commerce, Sedano’s Supermarket: As head of the grocer’s e-commerce business, Casillas debuted the first-ever automated, hyperlocal fulfillment center in Miami. This first-of-its-kind automated storage and retrieval system allowed Sedano's to expand into the grocery automation space. The robotic store can prepare over 1,500 items per hour, completing a 60-item order in 5 minutes.
Cheryl Seaward — director, loyalty and analytics, Imperial Oil: Seaward was a leader in defining a strategy to phase out a proprietary loyalty program at Imperial Oil and make the leap to a single coalition program. She defined the offers, process and customer experience.
Shelley Scarberry — technology, senior director -infrastructure delivery and support, The Home Depot: Scarberry uses technology to improve the experience of Home Depot employees and its store customers. Impacting people and processes through relationship management, budget creation and implementation, cost control, trending, technology support center efficiency, forecasting, team motivation and mentoring, Scarberry has a track record for driving results.
Wendi Senhauser — senior IT manager, Abercrombie & Fitch: The 20-years-plus Abercrombie & Fitch veteran has been a leader in delivering and implementing store technology throughout all the retailer’s store locations. Her leadership style, project management, strategic planning and retail knowledge in retail have distinguished her throughout her career.
Amber Turley — senior director, omni experience, digital strategy & partnerships, Sephora: Turley has kept Sephora at the bleeding edge of retail fulfillment efforts. Working across teams to launch innovative partnerships and ensure the customer is delighted, she launched nationwide same-day delivery and will soon launch differentiated innovations in curbside fulfillment.
Supply Chain
Lori Bossman — executive VP, chief supply chain officer, Ace Hardware: Bossman oversees supply chain operations, inventory replenishment, retail support, loss prevention and property administration, all contributing to the success of this hardware retail powerhouse.
Muriel Gonzalez — executive VP, chief merchandising and marketing officer, The Vitamin Shoppe: Gonzalez helped the Vitamin Shoppe thrive through COVID-19 while also focusing on building private brands, leading the redesign of labeling and imaging of private label and adding new and exciting products from up-and-coming vendors.
Becca Meinz — VP, end-to-end supply chain, Best Buy: Meinz got involved in supply chain when on the Best Buy finance team pre-pandemic as the retailer was recognizing the growing need to expand its dotcom capacity and bring automation into its distribution centers. She took on the role as the strategic lead for the work and eventually sat side by side with the head of supply chain while he successfully pitched the program to the CEO, which opened her path into a business leadership role at the company.
Aini Tjan — senior sourcing manager, Albertsons: Tjan has successfully led her team at Albertsons through the challenges of the pandemic and other issues, including not only managing costs, but also ensuring that Albertsons’ non-food Own Brands portfolio was available to customers at a time when the supply chain has had significant challenges.
Stephanie Smith — senior VP, supply chain, The Home Depot: Responsible for fulfillment options across online, appliance, consumer, customer, and pro channels, Smith has worked to expand The Home Depot’s supply chain network, building several new industry-leading facilities constructed in a variety of unique formats and catering to all types of customers.
Store Development/Facilities
Jennifer Bridges — Senior VP, Asset development Murphy USA: Bridges is responsible for not only maintaining Murphy’s existing locations in 27 states, but also for seeking opportunities for future site development. She is also dedicated to creating a sustainable future for the company.
Kara Cutino — VP, store development, facilities services, asset protection and store purchasing, Ascena: Cutino, who has built a 25-plus-year career at Ascena, leads the company’s store development, asset protection and facilities services.
Angela Gearhart — VP, connected brand experience — head of experiential, Sleep Number: Gearheart is dedicated to blending innovative store design and technology — a formula that creates unique and memorable shopping experiences at Sleep Number. Her innovative approach to experiential retail has helped Sleep Number to redefine mattress shopping.
Lori Koeppe — operations coordinator, The Buckle: Koeppe helps coordinate The Buckle’s store construction projects from concept design to all the way through the opening of the physical store. She has championed several full design concept changes, as well as managed focus group projects.
Monica Munoz — portfolio director, capital programs, DaVita: Muñoz is responsible for all capital portfolio reinvestment initiatives for DaVita. This 20-year veteran oversees many aspects of the company’s assets lifecycle including design and construction through projects and programs implementations.
Leigh Pearson — senior director, facilities, sustainability, sourcing and procurement, Staples Canada: Pearson, who started as a store associate at Staples Canada in 1997, is responsible for managing the company’s comprehensive facility maintenance program. She is also responsible for identifying all key sustainability opportunities across the company.
Lisa Smolla-Hollo — project manager, growth and development, ULTA Beauty: Smola-Hollo, a 25-year retail veteran, is critical to Ulta Beauty’s expansion. She manages construction negotiations for leases, and oversees and executes Ulta’s new construction projects.
Real Estate
Tracy Baran — general counsel, Ocean State Job Lot: In charge of all real estate legal issues for Ocean State, Baran was a key player in keeping the company on course in the pandemic’s early days by providing stores with needed commodities and providing assistance during shutdowns.
Becky Hardin — senior VP real estate and store planning, Genesco: Five years ago, Hardin began a cost-saving initiative that has successfully driven down Genesco’s rents.
Natalie Hooper — director - site selection, North America, Nike: Deeply committed to teamwork in executing an expansion strategy, Hooper’s teammates at Nike applaud her innovative regimen and her understanding of the retail landscape.
Shannon Johnson — real estate manager, Lululemon: A 14-year real estate veteran of Chico’s FAS before joining Lululemon, Johnson’s favorite days on the job are opening days at new stores where people can connect and share experiences in the community.
Lori Nunez, lead national director of real estate, McDonald’s: Nunez helped develop a centralized national team structure for site acquisitions that paid off big dividends with 100 new locations 2022, 150 planned for 2023. A proponent for diversity in the industry, she assembled a team to work with North Carolina Central University, that included a sponsorship and program participation from McDonald’s for the first real estate program to be offered at a historically black college.
The Top Women in Retail awards were sponsored by Melissa (presenting sponsor), along with NEST, Ingenico and Brandpoint Services.