The Women in Retail Leadership Circle | On the Road crew made a special stop in Columbus, Ohio yesterday with our first-ever event in the Arch City, and a great time was had by all!

Taking place at the lovely Vue Columbus, a packed audience of senior-level women executives — from companies such as Bath & Body Works, Victoria’s Secret, Signet Jewelers, Lane Bryant, Sherwin-Williams, Big Lots, and Express — heard from speakers focusing on both executive professional development and retail business strategy. They also took part in some great networking opportunities.

The event opened with a keynote from June Ryan, a motivational speaker and retired Rear Admiral in the U.S. Coast Guard (and a Women in Retail member). During her session, Ryan spoke about her career highlights, leadership lessons, and why it’s important to “hold the light” for others — such as our families, coworkers, and customers.

Another highlight was a panel with retail executives who discussed how they’re navigating their businesses through current macro challenges. Erica Fortune, senior vice president, e-commerce and digital marketing at Advance Auto Parts, discussed how important the basics are when it comes to marketing and e-commerce, and how leaders should focus on finding solutions to business problems before throwing the next, new shiny tech objects at them.

Helly Ding, the vice president of global travel retail at Victoria’s Secret, discussed how consumer behavior has changed since COVID-19 and what her company is doing to meet the needs of the new consumer. Finally, Lynn Blashford, the chief marketing officer at White Castle, talked about how her company is leaning into branding strategies.

All panelists also discussed how they balance short-term results and long-term goals; how they’re able to galvanize their teams behind their growth strategies; key predictions for the upcoming busy holiday season; and more.

Finally, during the closing keynote session, I sat down with Traci Inglis, the founder and CEO of Delleck Scrubs, makers of flattering and functional scrubs named after her grandmother Della Leckie Milholen. We discussed her illustrious career — which included CEO, president and chief marketing officer roles at well-known fashion brands such as New York & Co., JustFab, ShoeDazzle, and Killstar — key leadership lessons she’s learned; the failures, setbacks and challenges that have been most instrumental to her growth; and why her second-act career may be her best one yet.

We ended the event with a fun cocktail reception, and attendees took home some great swag bags (of course)!
While the event was great, there is no time to rest on our laurels: The Women in Retail Leadership Circle | On the Road show continues this fall, with stops in Pittsburgh (Oct. 5), New York City (Oct. 12) and Los Angeles (Nov. 2). Hope to see you at one (or all) of them!