July 6, 2015
Who are the most powerful women in retailing?
Through a special arrangement, what follows is an excerpt of an article from FierceRetail, an e-newsletter and website covering the latest retail technology news and analysis
Several years ago, I wrote a column wondering why there weren’t more powerful women in retail. It was a response to Forbes’ annual "Most Powerful Women" list, one that included preciously few women from this industry.
That was in May 2013. There were seven women in retail named to the list, although two — Spanx founder Sara Blakely and Tory Burch — were primarily designers with a foothold in retail.
At the time, I wrote: "This is an industry who’s primary customer base is female. Apparel retailers, department stores, discount stores and supermarkets all refer to their customers as ‘she.’ … Women shop for, consume and prepare a majority of products purchased today. Every retail executive is devoted to finding out what makes her tick. Why haven’t more woman risen from the ranks of the 15 million U.S. retail employees to lead these companies?"
Women, it seemed to me, would not only be better able to relate to their customers, but would have more insight into what they expected from the stores and merchandise selection as well.
A year later when Forbes updated the list, the names and number of female retail luminaries remained the same.
Change has been slow to come to retail.
And that is why we chose to launch the FierceRetail inaugural list of the "Most Powerful Women in Retail."
It’s heartening to see women in top leadership roles at leading retailers such as Apple, Sam’s Club and TJX. It’s especially heartening to include Sam’s Club President and CEO Rosalind Brewer who was invited to speak at Forbes’ "Most Powerful Women Summit" this year and is No. 65 on the list.
FierceRetail is a young publication and, for our first list, we combed through corporate directories, cross-referenced other awards programs (including Forbes) and scoured women’s groups and organizations.
In the end, we decided to feature only those women in president or CEO positions, and only those at traditional brick-and-mortar retailers.
We apologize to those we may have missed and hope to be forgiven for any slights.
Fierce Retail’s Most Powerful Women in Retail 2015
- Laura Alber, director, president and CEO, Williams-Sonoma
- Angela Ahrendts, SVP of retail and online stores, Apple
- Shari Ballard, president of US retail and chief human resources officer, Best Buy
- Rosalind G. Brewer, president and CEO, Sam’s Club
- Lizanne Kindler, CEO, Talbots Inc.
- Kay Krill, president and CEO, Ann Inc.
- Carol Meyrowitz, chairman and CEO, TJX Companies Inc.
- Barbara Rentler, CEO and director, Ross Stores Inc.
- Laura Sen, president and CEO, BJ’s Wholesale Club
- LuAnn Via, president and CEO, Christopher & Banks
Discussion Questions
Why do you think there aren’t more women in top leaderships positions within retail? Is this a situation that needs to change? How should retailers go about bringing more females into leadership roles?
Poll
BrainTrust
Cathy Hotka
Principal, Cathy Hotka & Associates
James Tenser
Retail Tech Marketing Strategist | B2B Expert Storytelling™ Guru | President, VSN Media LLC
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I don’t know the answer to the question, but it’s important to note the impediments women find in the only industrialized nation that has no maternity policy. Most businesses treat the pregnancies of their valued female employees as inconveniences, and few grant female employees meaningful maternity leaves. It would be interesting to know how many of the accomplished women listed above are childless.
In a word — sexism.
Retailing has, at its highest echelons — like the rest of American business — been an “old boys’ club.”
The glass ceilings which have restricted both women’s progress up the corporate ladder and their collective identity to receive equal compensation for equal labor have also immunized too many boardrooms against gender equality.
Does this situation need to change? It’s well past time it did. There is simply no place in the 21st century for corporate misogyny.
By the way, women aren’t sheep that need to be “brought into” leadership by wise, right-thinking men. Eliminate the gender bias barriers and I’m confident qualified people, irrespective of gender, will find their own path to the top. Talent will rise, but only if it is not being held back — even by the rhetoric of good intentions.
At the highest levels it is not who or what you are and it is never what you did or could do, it is what you are doing and where it is taking the company. Questions that do not concern themselves with executive practice, planning, behavior and decision making skills are irrelevant and distracting at best. So the only answer for leadership positions is and will remain profit taking and company growth capabilities. All others are a waste of time and increase corporate risk unnecessarily.
Probably the reason there are not more women in leadership positions is because the positions do not provide the flexibility to fit the lifestyle needs. Therefore women tend to not choose to accept these positions. Market forces determine if there is a need for change. The only way retailers will be able to attract more females into leadership roles is to allow for more work flexibility in balancing their needs and wants. High paying leadership roles go to people willing to work long hours, willing to relocate and spend several weeks or months traveling being away from their families. That doesn’t come so easy for either gender. Uprooting spouses and children is a big decision and you really need to put your job as number one. The competition for leadership roles is intense. I would have the same question as Cathy — how many are childless? The business world and the competitors for your job will not be sympathetic to maternal and family issues. Retailing is a rough business and often a cruel one. You need to go toe-to-toe with your competitors and enemies 24/7. Someone is always after your job and if you are not there to defend it, you can lose it. That goes for everyone.
Of course the situation needs to change. Women and minorities bring different perspectives to the retail industry and today, more than ever, diversity of opinion and innovation are required for success in this industry.
I would like to pose this question in a little bit different way. Of the women who stay in the work force beyond the director level, what is the percent to men at the same level? Now, how different is this percent to the percent of women to men at the top level?
I don’t know the answer, however, I suspect it to be on par. So many women enter the work force but opt out for children and even the ones who don’t opt out entirely, they often opt out in ambition. Not that they aren’t qualified but the price is too high when weighed against their families.
Bias? I really don’t think so. Sure, when I entered retail back in the dark ages, there was lots of bias. Today? These jobs are way too transparent and only the strong survive. You can’t hardly get away with cronyism.
But that’s just my 2 cents.
Certainly there is a reason and maybe the reason is one we do not want to face up to. But this will change as time passes and men in the ivory towers realize that if the business is to grow, a woman has to be driving the car.
I could not help but think of my wife while reading this. She is the principal buyer in our house. How does a man know what her motivator is? Heck, she knows what I want and need before I do. It is time for a change in the big corner offices.
Perhaps Wegmans President Colleen Wegman belongs on this list too. She may well be the most influential woman in the supermarket business, and the company is thriving under her tenure.
If the retail business is as cruel and demanding as other commentators observe, maybe that reflects some unfortunate norms in American society. Of 185 modern nations we are one of two (the other is Papua New Guinea) that does not recognize paid parental leave as a legal right, for example.
The retail industry has historically catered to female customers, so it makes abundant sense for women to participate in a leadership capacity. Companies don’t have to wait for family leave laws to change in order to establish their own common-sense policies. I believe doing so will attract the best executive talent of both genders.