What were some early moments that shaped your career?

I went to college in Paris to study international business. But I was a big fan of TV commercials, and I was always amazed at these creative people who were able to create a 30-second commercial that changed the path of a brand. Because of this, I created a club during college and invited CEOs from top ad agencies for a networking dinner with fellow students. It was from that moment on that I knew I wanted to follow in their footsteps. These executives were so inspirational to me as leaders and creative people. I really fell in love with the world of advertising by learning about the industry through them. That pushed me to pursue a career in global advertising.

Next one was when I moved from Paris to San Francisco 10 years ago. I was invited by the president of Kmart and Sears apparel to join the team and help rebrand their business. Did I know anything about Kmart and Sears when I joined? Not at all. However–I knew they had one of the biggest customer files in the US. During my time on the team, I realized that being able to analyze 120 million customer profiles to reshape a full brand business strategy, campaigns, forecast, etc. was really the key to transforming their apparel business. That’s when I realized how powerful it is to really understand your customers through your data–their behaviors, their lives, what they’re going through. This is crucial to positioning a brand for a long-term growth strategy. Coming from a very strong creative and brand marketing background, really digging into all that data unlocked a different skillset and mindset for me.

Is this person you mentioned a mentor to you or have you had mentors along the way that have helped you get to where you are?

Yes, his name is Andrew Clarke. He is currently the CEO of francesca’s, and he is one someone that I have looked up to throughout my career. He is also the reason I decided to make the big move to New York for my career. He is a visionary leader, someone who can think about long-term strategy versus short-term and return on investment. Because of his clear vision, and his ability to turn it into a road map for his team, he boosts your confidence as a member of his team–you know exactly what steps you need to take to achieve the overall vision for the team. 

Not only is Andrew’s leadership style amazing, the way he sticks to his values as a person really inspires me to follow in his footsteps. In the 20 years that I have been working, being yourself and seeking what you believe in as a person are two very important values that I carry with me everywhere I go.

Any memorable piece of advice you’ve received early in your career that guides you as you go about your day?

Yes! There’s a quote that I always refer to as a piece of advice: “People will forget what you said. They will forget what they see, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” Specifically in apparel and now in intimates, I think that’s highly relevant. When you talk to women, you have to understand that beauty goes way beyond looking great, it’s about how they feel in their own body. 

Another piece of advice which really resonates with me and how I operate is – “run…but not too fast.” I’m someone who runs. I have this entrepreneurial mindset. But not running too fast means that you have to remember to bring people along with you.  As a leader, you need to keep that in mind because otherwise you can really forget about how your team feels,  how your customers feel, and so on.  It’s also about preserving yourself in the process. Make sure you check in with yourself. 

What do you do to have fun or what do you do outside of work that brings you joy?

I enjoy spending time with my family. I have two teenagers. While it’s challenging on a day-to-day basis, they’re also a lot of fun. I also love being with my girlfriends. Every month we have our time together. I treat it as an important meeting on my calendar.  Most of them work and have kids and we go through a lot of things together. I enjoy being able to disconnect and just be with each other.

What’s your productivity hack? Is there something that you do to keep you focused? 

I have a very creative brain, and I need to work on balancing it with being organized. I maintain a list of priorities to stay focused. The right side of the list is big things that are critical and that I think it will move the needle. It’s very important that I prioritize those tasks first. The other side is all of the things that take up time but may not add tremendous value. We usually lose ourselves in these little things, and then you don’t have enough time to focus on the bigger picture.  I check this list weekly to make sure that I’m still keeping on track with the critical things. I worked in various companies where the big things were not done because small things took up all the time.  It’s really important as a leader that you keep track of this time making sure you prioritize it accordingly.

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