Q&A With Top Women in Retail Honoree Artemis Patrick, President and CEO, Sephora North America

Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) recently released its 16th annual Top Women in Retail report. The valuable resource highlights female executives who impressed our Editorial team as well as colleagues from across the industry. One such woman was Artemis Patrick, president and CEO of Sephora North America. Here’s a sampling of Artemis’ interview featured in the report.

Women in Retail Leadership Circle: Given Sephora’s role in shaping the modern beauty customer, how are you prioritizing innovation across product and experience to stay ahead of shifting expectations online, in stores, and across the full omnichannel journey?
Artemis Patrick: Innovation for us always starts with our clients — listening to them, understanding how they shop, and anticipating their needs as their habits continue to evolve. That’s why we’ve focused on making the experience fresh, fun and educational while balancing ease, convenience and personalization, no matter how they choose to shop with us. We offer all of the usual options like free shipping, BOPIS, curbside pickup, same-day delivery, same-day unlimited, and auto-replenishment, but we also aim to make this experience engaging. That’s where things like exclusive events, for example SEPHORiA, first-access to new product launches, or our gamification experiences (e.g., the Beauty Insider Challenges) come into play to allow our clients to make their shopping journeys easier and, more importantly, build a deeper sense of community at Sephora.

Our Beauty Advisors play a critical role in bridging the omnichannel journey as they offer expert, personalized guidance, supported by tools like our longstanding Sephora Beauty Skin Scan (formerly known as ColorIQ), which help clients find the right complexion and skincare products as well as create continuity between in-store and digital experiences. In addition, we’re doubling down on physical retail with our largest capital project to date, modernizing our fleet of North American stores to deliver a consistent, high-quality experience while future-proofing our stores for the next generation of beauty shoppers.

WIRLC: You’ve built a career at the intersection of retail, product, and customer-centered innovation. What key experiences helped you move into senior leadership at Sephora, and what advice would you give to emerging leaders looking to follow a similar path?
AP: My career has been shaped by staying focused on people — our clients, our teams, and our brands and partners — and by spending time where the real work happens. Some of the most formative moments for me were in stores, distribution centers, and cross-functional rooms where decisions directly shaped how Sephora shows up every day.

Curiosity, connection and long-term thinking are core to Sephora’s culture, and leaning into those values — asking questions, listening closely, and pushing for better experiences — has guided how I lead today.

For emerging leaders, my advice is simple: stay close to the customer, seek out diverse perspectives, and never underestimate the power of showing up consistently with empathy and accountability. That’s how trust is built, and trust is what opens doors.

WIRLC: What bold leadership move has had the biggest impact on your team in the past year?
AP: One of the most impactful decisions this past year was making time to be on the ground with our teams, in stores, distribution centers and offices, while we were navigating major transformation. We’re revamping our store fleet, expanding new formats, and scaling partnerships like Sephora at Kohl’s, and it would have been easy to lead all of that from a distance.

Showing up in person, not only to the major stores but also the smaller ones in places like North Dakota, Montana, and Louisiana, helped teams feel connected to the “why” behind the changes and gave them the confidence to move quickly. That visibility and shared ownership strengthened trust across the organization and reinforced something I deeply believe: innovation starts by listening to the people closest to our clients.