Frozen & Refrigerated Buyer introduced its inaugural FoRWARD Awards celebrating 28 women who have worked their way to the top of the male-dominated grocery industry. What career advice would you have for women seeking to advance in the grocery industry as well as for the stores and brands developing them as leaders?

A new report from small-business lending platform OnDeck finds consulting, finance and technology among the top sectors for creating future business founders. Retailers, by comparison, ranked low. Have the traits that drive entrepreneurial success in the retail space significantly changed over the years?

Tom Kingsbury is no longer the interim CEO of Kohl’s. The company yesterday confirmed earlier reports by formally announcing that Mr. Kingsbury has been named to the position on a permanent basis while continuing to serve on its board of directors. What do you think Tom Kingsbury needs to do as he takes on the Kohl’s CEO role on a permanent basis?

Pacsun last week announced that Brie Olson, president and a member of the retailer’s board of directors, will be appointed co-CEO, effective March 9, replacing Alfred Chang, who is stepping down. Do you see the Pacsun co-CEO leadership model as something that has uniquely worked for the company or an example for other retailers looking to improve their performance?

Retail C-suites have seen a lot of turnover the last few years, and at least one recent case shows that the CEO role is harder to fill than it once was. Do you see a broader problem of getting qualified people to take on retail CEO roles or is this limited to specific companies?

Dollar Tree yesterday said that its executive chairman, Richard Dreiling, has been named CEO of the company. He replaces Mike Witnyski who has led the company since last year after serving in leadership positions with Dollar Tree going back to 2010. What impact do you expect Rick Dreiling to have on Dollar Tree and Family Dollar?

Marvin Ellison, CEO at Lowe’s, speaking at the NRF Big Show, said he learned early on that, to get ahead in his career, his best approach was to “just take tough assignments.” Every job he’s taken over the last 25 years has involved succeeding someone who was fired or pushed out. Do you agree with Marvin Ellison’s advice for individuals trying to advance their retail careers?

Nepotism has been in the limelight lately as Hollywood stars have had to defend themselves or their children over gaining an unfair advantage from family connections. Is nepotism at family-run businesses and elsewhere at retail a problem?

Rite Aid yesterday said that board member Elizabeth “Busy” Burr has been named interim CEO of the company, effective immediately. She replaces Heyward Donigan who has led the drugstore chain since 2019. What does Rite Aid need to do to better to compete against CVS, Walgreens and other rivals?

Amy Hauk is stepping down as CEO of Victoria’s Secret on March 31 after having just been named to lead the lingerie giant in July. Do you expect that Amy Hauk’s planned departure will have an effect on the Victoria’s Secret or PINK businesses?

In a surprise move, Under Armour last week named Stephanie Linnartz, the current president of Marriott International, as its third CEO. What do you think of the hiring of Stephanie Linnartz to guide Under Armour’s next phase of growth?

According to Harvard business administration professor Raffaella Sadun, the collapses of FTX and Theranos and the recent turmoil at Twitter prove “boring management matters” as well as the importance of context-specific skills and the ability to influence employees. Do you see more potential benefits than risks in having a charismatic retail CEO?

Cisco, SAP and Salesforce have all added a chief trust officer (CTrO) to their c-suite as the digital economy has elevated the importance of trust. Should retailers follow? Do retailers need a chief trust officer or to put a c-level exec in charge of trust?

Michelle Gass is stepping down as the chief executive of Kohl’s as of December 2 and moving to Levi Strauss & Co in January. What should happen at Kohl’s following Michelle Gass’ departure?

Nordstrom last week announced that Edmond Mesrobian, its chief technology and information officer since 2018, is stepping down, adding credence to the perception that turnover remains high for information technology executives. What’s the reason for the apparent high turnover rates for CTOs, CIOs and other IT executives?

Gap Inc. is cutting 500 corporate jobs as it continues to search for a permanent CEO and it seeks to come up with answers to buoy its top and bottom lines following a second quarter that saw it report a 10 percent decline in comp sales and a net loss of $49 million. What do you see as Gap Inc.’s current strengths and weaknesses?

Lands’ End earlier this week said it had concluded its search for a new CEO with the hiring of American Eagle Outfitters president, international, Andrew McLean, who won’t take over as CEO until the end of the company’s fiscal year, January 27, 2023. What do you see as the pros and cons of CEO succession plans that ease new leaders into their roles?

Target will apparently need CEO Brian Cornell when he’s 64, and beyond. All it took was for the company to scrap its mandatory retirement age of 65 so the CEO, currently 63, would be able to carry on doing his job. What is your position on mandatory retirement ages in retail?

Lowe’s said on Tuesday that it was doing away with the CMO role and that its marketing team would now report to Bill Boltz, executive vice president of merchandising. Does it make sense for retailers to move their marketing operations under merchandising as they focus more on sales promotion activity?

Starbucks announced plans to hire retail and restaurant industry outsider Laxman Narasimhan as its next CEO, replacing three-time CEO, Howard Schultz, as the chain embarks on a “Reinvention.” What do you think of the outside hire of Laxman Narasimhan as Starbucks’s CEO?

Walmart is laying off workers as part of a reorganization of its corporate staff. The decision comes on the heels of reducing its forecast for the current quarter and the year. What is your take on the layoffs taking place at Walmart?

Sonia Syngal is out as CEO of Gap Inc. Ms. Syngal, who stepped down from her position and from the board, effective immediately, will leave the company after a brief transition.  What will it take to fix Gap Inc.?

The news came today that Mark Tritton is out as president, CEO and a board member of Bed Bath & Beyond. What went wrong and right during Mark Tritton’s tenure at Bed Bath & Beyond?

Bonobos co-founder and former CEO Andy Dunn opened up about his bipolar disorder diagnosis, exploring the inherent challenges as well as how it fueled his entrepreneurial spirit. Does it make sense that the same traits that make someone well-suited to entrepreneurship make that person vulnerable to mental health crises?

Friday’s announcement that Dave Clark, Amazon.com’s CEO of Worldwide Consumer, would be resigning, effective July 1, set off speculation that the retail group’s recent trips-ups were to blame. Is Dave Clark’s exit a harbinger of major changes for Amazon’s retail businesses?

Kohl’s is losing two key executives at a time when the retailer is pursuing a sale and facing ongoing pressure from activist investors. Do you see the departures of c-suite executives as a sign of bigger problems at Kohl’s?

Walmart has created a series of career path programs designed to let associates pursue advancement opportunities throughout the organization, from store-level to its headquarters in Bentonville. How do Walmart’s store and corporate recruitment and training programs stack up against other large retailers?

Crate & Barrel Holdings last week revealed that Sebastian Brauer, who oversees product design, development and visual merchandising for the home goods chain, will take on additional responsibility. His new title is SVP for product design, development and metaverse. Which c-suite function should guide metaverse strategy for retailers?

Shares of Gap Inc. plunged 18 percent on Friday after the mall-based clothing giant announced the exit of Old Navy’s CEO, Nancy Green, and lowered its guidance. Do you see Old Navy’s current problems as a short-term blip or requiring a longer-term fix?

Nordstrom on Monday said that it is consolidating leadership for its full-line department stores and its Rack off-price concept under one team in an effort to deliver on its strategy of providing customers seamless shopping experiences across its digital and physical store platforms. What do you see as the pros and cons of Nordstrom’s plan?

He’s back. Howard Schultz has started his third turn at leading Starbucks and it didn’t take him long to get the attention of the coffee giant’s stakeholders. Do you agree with Howard Schultz that investing more of Starbucks’ profits into people and stores is “the only way to create long-term value” for the chain?

Starbucks is looking for a new CEO following Kevin Johnson’s decision to retire after 13 years at the company. Mr. Johnson, who has led Starbucks since 2017, said that he informed the company’s board over a year ago that he was considering retirement. What type of leader does Starbucks need at this point in its history?

Digital transformations, cloud migration and the movement to remote and hybrid workforces have not only elevated but broadened the CIO’s responsibilities to more of an advisory role. Do you see CIOs at retail taking on an advisory role or significantly more responsibilities amid continued digital transformation?

Marc Rosen is pulling together a leadership team at JCPenney with a vision of doing nothing less than transforming the legacy retailer. What do you make of the recent c-suite and merchandise news from JCPenney?

CVS Health will close 900 stores over three years and launch new formats as part of its strategic push to create health destinations in the communities it serves. Will CVS be a stronger drugstore retailer as a result of its plan to close 900 stores, operate three distinct formats and utilize a different executive leadership model?

JCPenney has a new CEO. The department store retailer announced that Marc Rosen, a 25-year retail industry veteran who most recently served as executive vice president and president of Levi Strauss Americas at Levi Strauss & Co., will join the company effective Nov. 1. Is Marc Rosen a good fit as JCPenney CEO at this moment in time?

A new study found corporations with “very effective” CMO-CIO working relationships have sizable advantages in driving data-driven innovation, but that only 23 percent of corporations believe they have attained such collaboration. What should be primary and secondary priorities in driving collaboration between marketing and IT?

Organizations have instituted the position of chief data officer over the last decade to help make some sense out of the flood of big data. Yet less than half of large companies have a CDO. Do you see a strong need for a chief data officer for retailers and brands in addition to the CIO/CTO?

A university study shows that when women express calm, happy emotions, they are perceived as more effective leaders than men. The effect is most pronounced for leaders in top positions in an organization. Do women leaders have an advantage in connecting emotionally with employees or does that conclusion misjudge men?

Authenticity in leadership is judged by how you behave, how you communicate and how you serve your stakeholders and customers. What traits define authenticity in leadership?

GameStop went shopping for a new CEO and CFO and found them at Amazon. The retailer announced yesterday that it has named Matt Furlong as its new chief executive and Mike Recupero in its top finance role. What changes are you expecting from GameStop with the new leadership team and board that have been put in place?

PacSun, announced a leadership transition that will see Alfred Chang, the teen chain’s president, and Mike Relich, interim CEO of PSEB Group, share the chief executive role. Are you a fan of co-CEO management structures?

Thirty-seven percent of CEOs identified the CTO/CIO role as among those responsible for the most crucial functions over the next two to three years, the highest-ever spot in the “2021 CEO Study” by IBM. Is the third position behind the CEO about right for the CTO/CIO role when it comes to c-level hierarchy?

New research found that IQ is unquestionably the better predictor of job performance and career success, but when it comes to entrepreneurship, emotional intelligence was found to be the stronger predictor of success. In what ways have you seen EQ being key to entrepreneurial success vs. IQ?

Target is not standing on its laurels. The retailer announced earlier this week that it is making changes to its executive leadership team with continuing improvement and growth as the focus. How does Target’s executive leadership stack up against its retail industry peers?

The role of the chief digital officer continues to evolve. A new study from Deloitte finds that the role’s success depends on how they perform within four archetypes. Has the role of the chief digital officer significantly changed over the last year?

GameStop isn’t ready to give up on itself yet as evidenced by new hires with strong professional pedigrees. Are you encouraged about GameStop’s prospects based on its apparent change in its strategic focus and new additions to its board and leadership team?

Jeff Bezos has announced that he will be stepping down as chief executive of the company in the third quarter this year to become its executive chairman. Is Amazon’s inventiveness the single key feature that has set it apart from other retailers and consumer-facing brands over the past 20+ years?

Walgreens Boots Alliance has reached a deal with Rosalind Brewer to join the company as its new chief executive officer, replacing Stefano Pessina who announced last summer that he would move to executive chairman of the company’s board once his replacement was found. What do you expect Rosalind Brewer to bring to her role as CEO of Walgreens?

Marc Lore, who has often been credited with jumpstarting Walmart’s digital evolution, is leaving the discount giant after five years.  How much headway has Walmart made competing with Amazon  over the last five years?