Chain Store Age Celebrates Top Women in Retail with Awards

June 28, 2023  by HFBusiness Staff in Business Strategy, Industry   

The program recognizes individuals in four categories: technology, supply chain, store development/facilities and real estate. And three of the most senior leaders were honored as Women of the Year.

“The recipients of our Retail’s Top Women Awards are leaders in every sense of the word,” said CSA editor-in-chief Marianne Wilson. “Along with keeping their companies at the forefront of innovation, they are helping to advance the presence of women in senior decision-making positions across the industry.”

The recipients of CSA Retail's Top Women Awards are listed below, beginning with “Women of the Year:”

Prama Bhatt — chief digital officer of Ulta Beauty

Managing a team of digital experts across a wide variety of technology areas, Prama Bhatt and her team have transformed the beauty experience at Ulta, deploying technology to create innovative, reimagined and personalized experiences at every touchpoint of the customer journey, both in-store and online.

Bhatt’s strategic vision and penchant for innovation have fueled e-commerce growth at Ulta, turning the company into an online powerhouse.

Marie McCarthy — COO of L.L. Bean

As COO of the legendary retailer, Marie McCarthy oversees a roughly 3,000-employee (at peak season) operation that fulfills all direct customer orders, manages the customer returns process, supports the retailer’s customer service delivery and oversees the production of made-in-Maine goods.  

A 30-year veteran of L.L. Bean, McCarthy has played a crucial role in the company’s long-term success. She started out as a compensation analyst, moving on to hold a variety of leadership roles across the organization, including leading the company’s multi-million dollar investment to add robotic automation.

Fiona Tan — CTO of Wayfair (pictured)

Fiona Tan oversees a global team responsible for the online home furnishings giant’s e-commerce platform, supply chain technology and omnichannel experiences.  

Tan has played a critical role in driving the growth and success of Wayfair’s technology organization, setting the strategy for the development of systems and technologies that shape both the customer and supplier experiences.  She is overseeing a technology transformation at the company, taking its existing legacy infrastructure and applications and modernizing them into cloud native micro-services.

Retail's Top Women in Technology: 

Kate Baily— VP, e-commerce, Journeys (a division of Genesco)
Anshu Bhardwaj — senior VP, technology strategy and commercialization, Walmart
Shweta Bhatia — senior VP, IT applications & base engineering, Dollar General
Angie Brown, senior VP —Technology, The Home Depot
Maria Fidelibus — divisional VP, technology — QuickChek
Dawn Iezzi — senior IT director, stores & services, PetSmart
Jena Rand — VP, retail operations, Warby Parker
Debra Sell — director, e-commerce, DICK’S Sporting Goods
Nicole West — VP, digital strategy & product, Chipotle Mexican Grill

Retail's Top Women in Supply Chain:
Stacey Furey — director, supplier performance, Ace Hardware
Kim Ramsey — VP, inventory management, Family Dollar
Lisa Wittman-Smith — senior VP, planning, replenishment & supply chain optimization, Joann

Top Women in Store Development/Facilities:

Theresa Fisher — senior VP, visual merchandising & brand development, CCA Global Partners

The 20-year CCA veteran, who heads up store design, visual merchandising and private branding, is leading the company’s ambitious “Retail 2.0” project, which is designed to transform and elevate the customer journey in purchasing flooring. It’s currently launching in Carpet One Floor & Home member showrooms throughout the U.S. and Canada, Flooring America and Flooring Canada.

Danni Gallagher — VP planning, design and construction, CVS Health

With a team of 117 members, Gallagher leads CVS Health’s capital planning, design and construction teams across all of the company’s business units, including CVS pharmacy, Aetna, Caremark and Specialty. In 2022, she led the execution of over 6,000 projects that included more than 1,000 store resets and refreshes.

Laura Gross — senior manager, facilities, American Signature

Along with overseeing American Signature’s repair, maintenance budget and capitol expense projects and work orders for more than 120 stores, Gross negotiates new contracts with all facilities management and technology partners. She also oversees lease management/landlord responsibilities throughout all of the company’s markets.

Lauren Kruse — VP, store creation/store development, Sephora: Kruse leads
Kruse oversees Sephora’s store concept, design, procurement, construction, new store opening and facilities teams, as well as the beauty retailer’s sustainability group.  She is spearheading an aggressive expansion strategy as the company opens 50-plus stores per year and invests millions in upgrading its existing fleet.

Amy Ochoa — VP of facilities, Salon Lofts
In addition to leading a group of facility professionals tasked with providing best-in-class maintenance services, Ochoa is responsible for future-proofing the Salon Lofts’ expanding business with technology solutions that include computerized maintenance management systems and leveraged preventative maintenance programs.

Julie Starzynski — director, construction & design, Floor & Décor (pictured)
Starzynski oversees the construction and design department for the retailer’s North, Southwest and Western regions. Adept at managing multiple projects simultaneously, in multiple jurisdictions with differing permitting requirements, she has played a key role in the growth and success of Floor and Decor's store expansion efforts.

Retail's Top Women in Real Estate:
Shannon Letts — senior VP, real estate, procurement and sustainability, Big Lots
Rita Siegel — director of real estate, North American Retail, New Balance, Athletics
Jennifer Sorrells — senior manager, retail real estate, T-Mobile
Shannon M Yeakel — senior director of real estate development, Dick’s Sporting Goods

CSA’s Retail’s Top Women Awards were sponsored by Melissa (presenting sponsor), T-Mobile and NEST.