Hello there!

My name is Marie Albiges, and I’m so excited to be joining the Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) team as a senior editor to help serve this amazing community. I’d like to tell you a little bit about myself, and then I want to hear what motivates you as you navigate the “new normal” as a leader in the retail space.

I’m a French native who moved to the U.S. when I was young thanks to adventurous parents. I’ve lived on the East Coast most of my life and am now settled in Philadelphia, where my partner, his three-year-old daughter, our dog and I are on a mission to try every cheesesteak this town has to offer.

I’ve always been drawn to storytelling as a way to make connections. While working as a reporter over the past decade, I’ve found that people can teach each other so much through their stories — it’s such a powerful and useful tool toward building community.

I know you’re all facing some tough decisions and conversations as the world opens back up again, including labor shortages, supply scarcities, recruitment setbacks, etc.

While I’m sure it feels like you’re drinking from a firehose, I hope you can use this community of women leaders to commiserate, to lift each other up, and to share your successes. Women in Retail Leadership Circle has so many resources to help you navigate these challenges together, and I’m honored to be a part of the team.

And after a year of feeling stuck on an island that is my home office, I’m so looking forward to getting together in person and meeting all of you. In the meantime, drop me a line (malbiges@napco.com) with how I can help make your experience with Women in Retail Leadership Circle better.