It may still be the lazy, hazy days of summer, but us here at the Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) are in big-time planning mode, getting ready for our New York City and San Francisco “Girl Talks” events, taking place on Oct. 3 and Oct. 23, respectively. For those of you who may not know,...
We will be featuring Women in Retail Leadership Circle members and advisory board members in Inner Circle Q & As over the next several months. We want you to get to know them! The interviews will highlight what makes our members so special–from their leadership styles to their favorite vacation spots and everything in between. This week’s Q&A features a conversation...
I must admit, I’m not always a morning person. This is especially true on rainy mornings (such as this week), when it’s tempting to keep hitting the snooze button. It always seems to take at least three cups of coffee to get my day started. However, after talking about this with a friend of mine...
I attended a retail tech conference in New York City last week called GrowCommerce and was happy to see there were many women in retail and e-commerce speaking there. According to a blog post by Veronika Sonsev, one of the organizers of the event, this was by design. In fact, this year the GrowCommerce team...
This week’s Inner Circle Q&A features a conversation with Christina Mercando d’Avignon, founder and CEO of Ringly, a New York City-based company composed of designers and engineers dedicated to blending fashion and technology in meaningful ways. Melissa Campanelli: Tell me about your background. Christina Mercando d’Avignon: My passion for art and technology started at an...
One of my favorite things to do on Sunday mornings is reach for the Business section of The New York Times and check out Adam Bryant’s Corner Office column. It’s a Q&A-style interview with interesting CEOs (many of them women!), and it’s always chock-full of great leadership lessons and management tips. Plus, it’s presented in an...
In this new series, the Women in Retail Leadership Circle interviews leaders that inspire us. This week features Michelle Crawford and Jessica Kane, co-founders of Society+, a plus-size women’s apparel company. Melissa Campanelli: Please tell us about Society+. What does the company sell, and how is it different from what’s out there? Michelle Crawford: We’re a...
Last week, Wal-Mart launched a digital platform for women to share tips and learnings that grew from its five-year Women’s Empowerment Initiative, launched in 2011. Over the last six years, Wal-Mart has sourced more than $20 billion in products from women-owned businesses, increased sourcing from women-owned businesses internationally, and trained more than 1 million women worldwide who...
With longer days and warmer weather, sometimes summer gets a rep for being “lazy and hazy.” However, Women in Retail Leadership Circle is gearing up for what’s going to be a very busy season. It could be some of the books we’re reading (if you missed our favorites, you can check out the list here...
I grew up in a retail business in New York City ran by my grandmother and mother, both strong women. I, however, was more interested in studying how women manage their businesses than in inheriting the family firm. Therefore, I became an anthropologist, specializing in helping companies “see, feel and think” with fresh eyes so...
