Retail Guru Laura Ravo: "You Can Be Fierce and Kind" as a Leader
Welcome to Women in Retail Talks! We’ve updated our format to better serve the wants and needs of our community. Our refreshed podcast will feature in-depth interviews with female C-suite executives from enterprise retail organizations who defined their own career success and made their way to the metaphorical corner office. The episodes will include stories of professional growth, leadership development, personal journeys, and more. Every other Wednesday, you’ll get real advice and valuable lessons from powerhouse women across the industry. We hope you enjoy our show, and we welcome your feedback!
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Laura Ravo, chief operating officer of Strand Book Store, the New York City heritage community bookstore. She’s also a Women in Retail Leadership Circle member! Listen in as Ravo discusses how she got her start in the retail industry (2:38), what she loves about working in retail (3:42), and what she enjoys about her current position at Strand (5:27).
In addition, Ravo shares her journey to authoring her new book, “The Power of Grit & Grace,” during the pandemic (7:44), why both grit and grace are important leadership qualities (9:49), and examples of when she’s used these skills throughout her career (11:15). Lastly, she discusses her advice for the next generation of female leaders (16:13), her personal and professional goals for 2022 (17:54), and her favorite quote that helps keep her grounded (19:06).
Laura Ravo is a retail guru whose talents and charisma have developed some of the highest performing teams in global retail. Her scrappy determination and endless curiosity have been the cornerstone of her success for nearly 30 years. Laura embarked on her “accidental” career in college when she began her retail career as a part-time night associate in ladies lingerie. As her journey continued, she worked her way up through the store ranks in department stores and specialty retail.
Laura advanced as a leader with some of the greatest brands in the business — Macy’s, L Brands, LensCrafters, Oakley, and The Body Shop. Each brand left a mark on her heart, and she left each brand better than she found it. Laura is a sought-after mentor, speaker and industry expert. Her mantra is that in order to lead with authenticity and purpose in today’s complex world, you must bring your whole self to your job and your team.
Date: January 18, 2022
Credits: Laura Ravo
Duration: 20:25
More Episodes
Anthropologie Stores Exec Mindy Massey on Empathy: 'Give Grace, Space and a Place to Connect'
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Senior Editor Marie Albiges interviews Mindy Massey, global executive director of stores at Anthropologie, a unique, full-style lifestyle brand in the URBN portfolio. Massey details how her role and leadership style has evolved over more than 20 years at Anthropologie, leading with empathy, her mantra "grace, space and place," what the next generation of female retail leaders should focus on to advance in their careers, and more.
21:00NY Fashion Week Founder Fern Mallis Shares Stories and Lessons From Her Illustrious Career
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Fern Mallis, founder of New York Fashion Week (NYFW) and Fern Mallis LLC. Mallis was also named to the third annual list of 25 Most Inspirational Women Leaders by Retail Influencer Network, The DealmakeHers, and The Z Suite, in partnership with Women in Retail Leadership Circle. Listen in as Mallis details her illustrious career journey; the genesis of NYFW; the common threads that emerged between the hundreds of fashion and retail leaders featured in her interview series Fashion Icons with Fern Mallis; and more.
26:29How ThredUp Revenue Chief Cora Buel Leads Effective 4-Day Work Weeks
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Senior Editor Marie Albiges interviews Cora Buel, chief revenue officer at ThredUp, one of the world's largest online resale platforms for apparel, shoes and accessories. Listen in as Buel discusses pivoting to a small business after working at large organizations, ThredUp's four-day work week and the benefits of a flexible working style, her experience taking on the first-ever chief revenue position at the company, and more.
30:49How True Religion CMO Kristen D'Arcy Builds Team Relationships and Buy-In for Change
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Kristen D’Arcy, chief marketing officer of True Religion, sought-after jeanswear intended to influence and disrupt denim culture. Listen in as D’Arcy discusses the initiatives she’s working on in the company’s newly created chief marketer role (1:30) and True...
33:16How CEO Jill Scalamandre Brings the Culture of Kindness to Life at Beekman 1802
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Senior Editor Marie Albiges interviews Jill Scalamandre, CEO of Beekman 1802, a skin health brand based on two ingredients: kindness and goat milk. Listen as Scalamandre discusses the genesis of the family-founded brand on a goat farm, lessons learned from Beekman 1802's many successful brand partnerships, how the core value of kindness comes to life in the company's culture, and more.
30:22Women in Retail Leadership Circle Reflects on 10 Years Empowering Female Leaders
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli is joined by President and Co-Founder Jennifer DiPasquale and Membership Director Susan Koger. To kick off 2024, this special episode reflects on 10 years of Women in Retail Leadership Circle and the organization's growth. Listen in as the leaders detail the origin story of the membership association, WIRLC's exciting in-person and virtual member benefits, their favorite stories that showcase the impact of the WIRLC community on our members as well as the retail industry, and more.
23:20Monica Royer, Founder and CEO of Monica + Andy: 'It's Your Now or Never Moment'
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Monica Royer, founder and CEO of Monica + Andy, an organic baby clothing, accessories & essentials brand. This episode was recorded during a session at the Women in Retail: On the Road Los Angeles event in November. Listen in as Royer shares why she founded Monica + Andy, the influence of her brother Andy Dunn, co-founder of Bonobos, on her life, her focus on leadership development for herself and her team, and more.
30:36Former FTD Chief Merchant Christina Cubeta on Putting Motherhood on Your Resume
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Senior Editor Marie Albiges interviews Christina Cubeta, former chief merchandising officer and consumer division head at FTD, a leader in the floral industry. Listen in as Cubeta shares what it was like joining a rebranded FTD after its bankruptcy in 2019, the importance of owning your failure, her advice to parents re-entering the workforce after taking a pause from their career to grow their family, and more.
37:12Macy's DEI Chief Shawn Outler on Aligning an Organization Around Values
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Shawn Outler, chief diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer at Macy's, a legacy American retailer and the largest retail brand of Macy's, Inc. This episode was recorded during a session at the Women in Retail: On the Road New York City event last month. Listen in as Outler discusses a few of the initiatives she's spearheaded since she was named diversity chief in 2018, what she's thinking about in the DEI space right now, her advice for senior-level executives to advance and stay fresh in their career, and more.
25:40Kelly Cook Shares 5 Lessons Learned From Her Leadership Evolution
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Kelly Cook, president of marketing, IT and finance at David's Bridal, the nation's leading bridal and special occasion authority. Listen in as Kelly discusses how she's able to galvanize her teams around growth strategies, the top five leadership lessons she's learned during her career, what it means to her to be a servant leader, and more.
31:08