Wayfair Finance Chief Kate Gulliver on Her 'Next Right Move' Career Mindset
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Managing Editor Marie Albiges interviews Kate Gulliver, chief financial officer at Wayfair, one of the world’s largest home retailers. Listen in as Gulliver walks through her career journey that led to her current role (2:00), the value of keeping an open mind when considering your next career move (5:30), and how she evaluates the right next role (8:20). She shares lessons from each chapter of her career that stick with her today (10:15), what’s expected of today’s retail CFOs (15:25), and the importance of utilizing artificial intelligence across the business (18:20).
In addition, Gulliver discusses how Wayfair is navigating shifts in customer spending and tariffs (19:55), new business initiatives for 2025 (26:05), and how it feels to be among the 20 percent of S&P 500 CFOs who are women (28:35). Lastly, she shares her thoughts on ways to increase the number of female finance executives in retail (31:00), her non-negotiables for work-life balance (32:40), and one AI tool making her life easier (34:35).
Kate Gulliver is the chief financial officer and chief administrative officer for Wayfair, leading the Finance, Talent, Legal, Real Estate, and Corporate Communication functions. Kate formerly oversaw the talent organization at Wayfair where she was responsible for global human capital management, including recruiting, organizational design, talent management, talent analytics, compensation, and learning and development. Prior to leading the talent function, Kate managed the company’s Investor Relations team where she drove all communication and relationship development with outside investors, and led the company through its initial public offering (IPO) in 2014. Previously, Kate worked as an investor for nearly five years at Bain Capital, the Boston-based private equity firm. She started her career in consulting at McKinsey & Company. Kate holds a MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Yale University.
Date: June 24, 2025
Credits: Kate Gulliver
Duration: 36:30
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