Greetings Inner Circle readers, and welcome to 2018. I hope the year ahead brings much success for you all, both personally and professionally.

I thought I’d use this space to let you know about some of the events the Women in Retail Leadership Circle is feverishly working on for 2018. First up is the National Retail Federation’s Big Show, which is taking place Jan. 14-16 in New York City. Our podcast channel, Women in Retail Talks, will be recording live episodes at the Big Show featuring interviews with leading women in retail. Stop by Podcast Studio A from 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m. on Mon., Jan. 15 to check it out in person. And if you’re not going to be at NRF, don’t worry. We will be posting all of the episodes recorded at the event on our podcast page as well as in the Inner Circle in the coming weeks.

Next, we’ll be playing host at Total Retail’s Retail Roundtable events (Total Retail is a sister brand of WIRLC), first at the Stewart Hotel in New York City on Feb. 22, and then at the Le Méridien San Francisco Hotel in San Francisco on March 15. Join us for these special invitation-only evening events, at which we will interview top retailers about a multitude of topics, including the trends they see impacting their businesses in 2018. Expect fabulous venues, cocktails, conversation and a first-class meal. Complimentary registration can be found here: roundtables.mytotalretail.com.

Also, I’m super excited to announce that Sharon Leite, managing director of North America for Godiva Chocolatier, will be speaking at the NYC event. Prior to joining Godiva in September 2017, Sharon was president of Sally Beauty North America, where she was responsible for the company’s over 3,000 retail locations. Prior to her time at Sally Beauty, Sharon held senior roles at Disney, Bath & Body Works, Gap, and Pier 1 Imports. I can’t wait to hear Sharon discuss her career and the retail trends she’s tracking for 2018.

Last but not least, we’re hard at work on the Women in Retail Leadership Summit. We’ve got some fantastic speakers lined up and are adding more on a daily basis. The Summit will be held April 16-18 at the fabulous Ritz-Carlton in Miami. For further information, go to womeninretailsummit.com.

Cheers to 2018, the best is yet to come!

Melissa Campanelli
Co-Founder
Women in Retail Leadership Circle