In honor of Black History Month, we at Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) are highlighting 16 Black women in retail you should know. These individuals are paving the way for the next generation of female retail leaders, redefining what it means to be a leader, and setting new standards for the workplace. They are C-suite executives, entrepreneurs, nonprofit founders, champions and heroes who are elevating the conversation about what it means to positively impact the culture.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the amazing Black retail leaders that are and have been advancing and shaping the conversation about equity and justice in the retail space and beyond, nor is this list in any particular order. If there’s someone in the world of retail you think should be included in this list, let me know at malbiges@napco.com.

We’ve included a link to each woman’s LinkedIn because we’ve found they are actively posting interesting, thought-provoking insights and starting dialogues about issues that every retail leader should be thinking about.

  1. Fawn Weaver, Founder and CEO, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey
    Weaver is a rare diamond in the male-dominated world of spirits. A serial entrepreneur, she’s also the CEO and founder of Grant Sidney, a privately held investment company. Her whiskey is the best-selling African American-founded spirit brand of all time, and was the most award-winning American whiskey of 2019 and 2020.
  2. Bahja Johnson, Head of Equality and Belonging, Gap Inc. 
    Johnson leads equality and belonging at Gap Inc., owning the strategy development and advancement of the employee, customer, and community belonging pillars. She’s also the co-founder of the Color Proud Council, Gap Inc.’s first product inclusion initiative whose mission is to bring diversity and inclusivity to the forefront of every step of the process.
  3. Shawn Outler, Chief DEI officer, Macy’s
    Outler was one of the first people in the retail industry to be named a chief DEI officer. Her accomplishments in this role are extensive. She also runs a nonprofit, Black Retail Action Group (BRAG), whose mission is to educate and prepare professionals, entrepreneurs and students for leadership roles in the industry.
  4. Chéla Gage, Vice President, Global Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer, Starbucks
    In a newly minted global DEI role at Starbucks, Gage is tasked with tailoring the DEI strategy at the company around the cultural differences present in each of the places Starbucks has a presence.
  5. Carla Hall, Chef, Television Personality, Speaker, Author and Founder, Sweet Heritage
    Best known for her work as a host on ABC’s “The Chew” and the Food Network, Hall broke barriers throughout her career as a Black female chef and TV personality in a world when she didn’t see many other folks that looked like her.
  6. Chanel Norton-Lee, Supplier Diversity Senior Manager, Victoria’s Secret
    In her role as supplier diversity senior manager, Norton-Lee spearheads initiatives aimed at fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Victoria’s Secret business ecosystem.
  7. Eunique Jones Gibson, CEO The Happy Hues Company
    In addition to creating a baby and toddler care company, Jones Gibson launched Because of Them We Can, an award-winning campaign and platform filled with inspirational and positive things happening inside Black culture.
  8. Lela Coffey, Vice President of Multicultural Business Acceleration, Procter & Gamble North America
    A determined advocate for developing talent and building capability, Coffey invests a substantial part of her time coaching and supporting the growth of her teams, including to foster deeper understanding of the impact diverse, inclusive teams can have on businesses and organizations alike. Most recently, Coffey spearheaded the creation of P&G’s 4R Framework for Equality & Inclusivity, which is being used across P&G Beauty’s brands to more authentically connect with traditionally underserved consumers.
  9. Karla Davis, Group Vice President, Bath & Body Works 
    Davis has been transparent about her desire to prioritize her mental health and physical wellness after eight years at Ulta, saying in an interview with 21Ninety, “Rest is resistance. [Black women] have been fighting the good fight for so long that to get to this next, whatever it is, I definitely think that [rest] is gonna be the secret.”
  10. Erica Roberson-Peters, Vice President, DE&I Business Development, Professional Products Division, L’Oréal
    In addition to her role at L’Oréal, Roberson-Peters in 2017 founded Facets of Beauty, a nonprofit aimed at providing young girls of color exposure to education and career facets of the beauty and fashion industries.
  11. Shontay Lundy, Creator and Founder, Black Girl Sunscreen
    Lundy is changing the conversation around sun safety with her creation of Black Girl Sunscreen, made with melanated skin in mind. Her company has now grown to a seven-figure business.
  12. Jamillah Davis Hernandez, Vice President/DMM, Men’s Footwear and Accessories, Saks
    Davis Hernandez has spent most of her career at Saks. She’s also a board member for BRAG, which one of our other featured Black women in retail, Outler, founded.
  13. Alicia Boler Davis, CEO, Alto Pharmacy
    Previously the most senior Black executive in the auto industry, Boler Davis spent three years as part of Amazon’s senior leadership team before becoming the CEO of Alto Pharmacy, which was named to the 2023 CNBC Disruptor 50 list.
  14. Candi Castleberry, Vice President of Inclusive Experiences and Technology, Amazon
    In her role, Castleberry is tasked with helping Amazon meet its diversity goals, such as doubling the number of Black leaders at the company and increasing women in senior tech roles by 30 percent. She was previously a vice president at Twitter.
  15. Chinwe Abara, Senior Manager, DEI, Qurate Retail Group
    Overseeing DEI for Qurate brands QVC, HSN and Cornerstone, her responsibilities include working with the company’s more-than-30 Team Member Resource Groups and increasing diverse representation in supervisory and leadership roles.
  16. Michelle Banks, Chief DEI Officer, Kohl’s
    Banks stepped into the newly-created chief DEI officer position at Kohl’s in 2021 after working at the company in various leadership roles since 2010. In 2023, she and her DEI team hosted the inaugural Inclusion & Belonging Summit with Kohl’s.