Forbes recently published its America’s Best Employers for Women 2020 list. For its third annual ranking, Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista, surveying 75,000 Americans, including 45,000 women, working for businesses that staff more than 1,000 employees. The respondents worked in more than 31 industries, and were asked to share their opinion on their employer’s culture, opportunities for career development, image, working conditions, salary and wages, and diversity. Many retailers and brands made the list, including Chico’s FAS (No. 83) and Lands’ End (No. 107). We spoke to Women in Retail Leadership Circle members to learn more about what makes their company culture stand out from the rest.

“I’m thankful to work for a company that’s dedicated to promoting inclusion and diversity among its workforce,” says Cristina Ceresoli, vice president of marketing at Soma, a Chico’s FAS brand. “We have a strong commitment to gender parity and have achieved a balanced representation among our leaders. As a company that serves women, I’m proud to say that women make up 55 percent of our board of directors and 63 percent of our senior leadership team.”

Ceresoli also shared that she and her colleagues go to work believing that Soma can make a difference in women’s lives. The brand, and its parent company, Chico’s FAS, continues to focus on D&I in all areas that impact its customers and employees. “It’s imperative that we have a culture in our organization where inclusion and diversity are valued. This includes the models and influencers who represent our brand. We’ve established an Inclusion Council, whose main objective is to advance D&I initiatives throughout the organization to strive for continuous improvement. That is how we will be successful.”
Angie Rieger, senior vice president, planning and head of international wholesale, Lands’ End, is also proud to work for an organization that values women leadership. “I’m grateful to work for a company that has such a strong presence of women leaders in not only the executive ranks, but throughout the organization,” Rieger notes. “There are many stellar companies on this list across a number of industries; we are proud to be amongst them.”
Other retailers and brands on Forbes’ America’s Best Employers for Women list include:
  • #1 REI
  • #3 Ulta Beauty
  • #8 Best Buy
  • #14 Designer Brands
  • #30 Abercrombie & Fitch
  • #41 H&M
  • #53 Carter’s
  • #60 Ascena Retail Group
  • #84 American Eagle Outfitters
  • #92 J.C. Penney
  • #102 Williams-Sonoma
  • #116 Sephora
  • #118 Kirkland’s
  • #139 Nordstrom
  • #142 Ralph Lauren
  • #163 Foot Locker
  • #168 Francesca’s
  • #177 Nike
  • #196 Wayfair
  • #198 Hudson Group
  • #200 PVH
  • #203 Gap, Inc.
  • #220 Macy’s
You can view Forbes’ entire list here.