Women in Retail Leadership Circle is once again proud to present its annual list of the top women executives in the retail industry.

The 25 top women and 16 rising stars featured in our 11th annual Top Women in Retail report endured an extremely challenging year in retail and were forced to adapt to what we now consider the “new normal.” The report is packed with moving anecdotes and valuable lessons learned from the past year that all women in the retail space can relate to and benefit from.

Our honorees were nominated by their peers, WIRLC members, subscribers to this e-newsletter, and retail industry insiders. They were chosen based on several criteria, including position within their retail organizations, scope of responsibility within those positions, career achievements, involvement within the retail industry, and more.

Beyond the challenges of working through the COVID-19 pandemic, these honorees share what it’s like to climb the corporate ladder while raising children and constantly being undermined; how they turned passions into businesses; how they found strong mentors throughout their career; and more!

Some of our featured top women include:

  • Christiane Pendarvis, Co-President/Chief Merchandising and Design Officer, Savage X Fenty
  • Paige Thomas, President and CEO, Saks OFF 5TH
  • Mary Beth Laughton, CEO and President, Athleta
  • Heidi Zak, Co-Founder and CEO, ThirdLove
  • Annie Young-Scrivner, CEO, Wella Company

We’re so excited to celebrate Top Women in Retail honorees in person at our annual Women in Retail Leadership Summit in October. The health and safety of our Summit attendees is our first priority — we invite you to review our Summit Safety Plan as we welcome you back this fall.

Congratulations again to all of our honorees, and see you in October!