Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) came about after co-founders Jennifer DiPasquale and Melissa Campanelli spent a lot of time conversing with women retail leaders in the industry. They regularly heard stories that while there are a lot of women working in the retail space, the number of women in the C-suite is actually dwindling. Before launching WIRLC, however, we tested the idea with our first annual Women in Retail Leadership Summit, which launched in the spring of 2014. The event was a smashing, sold-out success. Following the incredible inaugural Summit, we decided to move ahead with the idea, and thus, WIRLC was born.