How do you explain your profession to people outside of the industry? What do you find most exciting and/or rewarding about this work?
I am ultimately responsible for delivering incredible value to our customers by creating delightful shopping experiences. This includes continuously evolving what types of products we sell, the promotions we run, and how customers engage with products on our website. I find it exciting as it really is a big puzzle: my job is to inspire my team, align our resources and innovate on our offerings to best meet our customers’ preferences.
What milestone or accomplishment have you made in your career that you are most proud of?
When I was the senior buyer of the soap and deodorant categories at Target, I changed the assortment across all 1,800 stores to feature more better-for-the-world products. I am especially proud that I was able to integrate more natural products and launch new brands that delivered an impactful social mission. For example, with Raw Sugar, every product sold equals one bar of soap donated to a community in need.
What is one notable achievement (personal or professional) that you've made over the past year?
In my role at IPSY, the preeminent beauty subscription service, there are two notable programs I helped create and have continued to enhance over the past year. The first is “IPSY Add-Ons,” the digital equivalent of walking through a checkout lane and stumbling upon appealing products at must-try prices. The second is the “Build Your Bag” experience, which combines personalization with control, allowing customers to choose from a set of curated products each month based on their individualized preferences. Just earlier this year, the “Build Your Bag” experience was recognized for the “Best Use of Customization” by the Glossy Beauty Awards, an annual awards showcase highlighting companies that are transforming the beauty and wellness industry.
What is a piece of media that has inspired you professionally?
I find stories about meeting seemingly unattainable goals through perseverance and creativity to be personally captivating and professionally energizing. I enjoy listening to the NPR hit, “How I Built This” and I would also recommend the podcast mini-series “13 Minutes to the Moon.”
Please share one fun or surprising fact about yourself:
As high school was coming to a close, my friends and I were looking for a way to stay in touch as we spread out across the country and throughout the world. Our solution was to create the first team-sport decathlon, which we nicknamed the “Ultimate Challenge.” For the last 20 years, the 20 of us have come back to our hometown in Massachusetts — now with our spouses and kids — to connect with one another through the vehicle of cooperative sports like softball, volleyball, soccer and dodgeball.
