Cover Story: The Top Women in Omnichannel Retail

Bernice Clark
, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Macy's


Bernice A. Clark is senior vice president of marketing for Macy's Inc., a position she's held since April 2009. Bernice's current role is marketing operations and campaign planning, leading and driving all of the integrated marketing campaign planning and production across national, regional and online marketing teams, as well as ensuring synergy with visual and technology teams. In this role, she also leads all of the marketing operations functions - e.g., project management, print/digital production and the photo studio that "runs the Macy's marketing machine." 
Clark now leads a combination of teams encompassing almost 200 people. Prior to this role, Clark led a team of 50 people in the position of senior vice president for merchandise marketing, where she was responsible for marketing and merchandise content strategy for seasonal branding efforts as well as fashion, beauty and home marketing across all media, including TV, radio, direct mail, newspaper, magazine, digital/online, social media and outdoor. Prior to joining Macy's through its previous nameplate (Marshall Field's), Clark worked for 15 years at top-tier advertising agencies such as Leo Burnett, Young & Rubicam, NY Ayer, and Saatchi & Saatchi. She worked on marketing and advertising strategies for major clients such as Kellogg's, Philip Morris, AT&T, Sears, DuPont and KitchenAid.

TIP: Today's customer expects a seamless experience that appropriately surprises and delights her with exciting products and experiences. At Macy's, we're fortunate to live by a motto that was coined over 100 years ago: "Be everywhere, do everything, never fail to astonish the customer." We think that's critical to success in omnichannel retailing.

Kimberly Colby, EVP of Design, Vera Bradley 


Kimberly F. Colby is executive vice president of design at Vera Bradley. Serving in various design roles at the company since 1989, Colby leads a design team of more than 35 employees. Colby's professional history includes retail advertising, public relations, direct mail, creative direction and management, special event planning, and interior design. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communications from Denison University.
TIP: Our focus has always remained on creating the best designed, highest quality and highest functional products for our customers. We know our customer shops across multiple selling channels, so we're continually evaluating how to simplify the shopping experience for her by tailoring our product lines accordingly.

Elizabeth Crystal
, Chief Marketing Officer 
and Executive Vice President of Marketing, Express
Elizabeth Crystal is chief marketing officer and executive vice president of marketing at Express, as well as a member of the Express executive committee. She's responsible for all the company's brand marketing initiatives, media, digital marketing, public relations, creative and in-store visual merchandising. Crystal's extensive career as a brand and retail marketing executive spans more than 20 years. 
Prior to joining Express in September 2013, Crystal served as chief marketing officer of Lane Bryant and Cacique. She also held a number of senior-level marketing positions with Revlon and Almay Color Cosmetics, including senior vice president of worldwide marketing. Prior to Revlon, Crystal was vice president of trade marketing for Buena Vista Home Entertainment, a division of the Walt Disney Company, where she held various leadership positions, among them executive director, customer marketing and promotions. Crystal started her career with several product management, media and public relations roles at Frito Lay, Edelman Public Relations Worldwide and NBC's "Today" show. She holds a degree in International Relations from Stanford University and a Masters of Management from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
TIP: Put your customer in the center, keep your brand relevant with its target audience and stay at the pulse of the marketplace. Develop a seamless, innovative and exciting customer experience with consistent and effective brand communication across all consumer touchpoints. 



Mindy Grossman ,
CEO and Director, HSN
Mindy Grossman is chief executive officer of HSN, Inc. and a member of the company's board of directors. She oversees a $3.3 billion direct-to-consumer retail portfolio that includes HSN and the Cornerstone portfolio of home and family lifestyle brands, including Garnet Hill, Chasing Fireflies and others. During her tenure, Grossman has positioned HSNi as a leader in boundaryless retail, offering customers a seamless shopping experience across multiple channels - e.g., television, catalog, online and mobile. Nearly half of the company's revenue is now generated through digital commerce.
A 35-year veteran of the retail and apparel industries, Grossman joined IAC, HSN's former parent company, in 2006 as CEO of IAC Retail. In 2008, she took the company public and became the CEO of HSNi. Prior to joining IAC, Grossman served as a global vice president at Nike, Inc., overseeing its $4 billion apparel business. Earlier career highlights include serving as president and CEO of Polo Jeans Company, vice president of new business development at Polo Ralph Lauren, president of Chaps Ralph Lauren, and senior vice president of menswear for Warnaco, Inc. She also held senior-level positions at Tommy Hilfiger and Oxford Industries. In 2013, Forbes named Mindy one of the world's 100 most powerful women, an honor she's now received three times. In 2011, she was named Corporate Innovator of the Year at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Florida Awards, and was recognized as one of Fast Company's Top 100 Most Creative People in Business. In both 2010 and 2011, the Financial Times named Mindy as one of the top 50 women in world business. 
Mindy serves on the boards of the National Retail Federation (NRF), Bloomin' Brands and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. 

TIP: In today's retail environment, the shopping experience is being redefined by technology, social networks and mobility. To successfully compete, you need to differentiate your brand, engage the customer on all levels, be agile and adaptable, and create a seamless shopping experience across all platforms.

Beth Guastella , President and Chief Operating 
Officer, giggle
Beth joined giggle in April 2013 as president and COO with over 25 years of retail experience. Beth runs the day-to-day operations of the company. Prior to giggle, Beth was vice president of direct to consumer at Cole Haan, where she was responsible for all facets of the brand's retail and digital business, including strategy, development and execution of all function areas - merchandising, merchandise planning, real estate, construction, sales and store operations. Prior to Cole Haan, Beth held executive leadership roles at Calypso St. Barth, Stuart Weitzman, kate spade, Montblanc and Hermes. 

TIP: Put the consumer at the center of everything you do! Provide an engaging and immersive two-way experience, using technology thoughtfully to add value without losing sight of the fundamentals, including assortments, stock levels, knowledgeable staff and efficient checkout.