Women Who Rock: The Class of 2026

Role: Chief marketing officer, Brooks Running

Why She Rocks: After studying mechanical engineering, Melanie Allen spent years following the instinctive path, with engineering and research-and-development roles at Procter & Gamble. Then a reverse-mentoring initiative at the company led to a pivot into marketing after a general manager got to know her and thought she’d be strong on the brand team. Allen looks back on that switch as one of the most difficult moments in her career. she realizes the decision to move was harder than it needed to be. “It’s not a career ladder, it’s a career lattice,” Allen explained. “The idea is you can take all these different pathways to get where you want. Just trust your gut and say, ‘You know what, this is the right path for me.’” After P&G, Allen moved on to Starbucks and then joined Brooks nine years ago.

Role: Head of global brand and marketing, Altra

Why She Rocks: At Altra, supporting and empowering women means being intentional at every level, no matter the job title. “It starts at the entry point — making sure women in floor staff and field sales roles can actually see a path forward, and that women leaders are visible and vocal enough to make that future feel real, not aspirational,” said Reyna Alishio, head of global brand and marketing at VF Corp.-owned Altra. The brand’s commitment to women also extends to its athlete roster. “What sets our approach apart is how we structure our contracts. We’ve built in protections for both injury and family, honoring athletes through recovery and supporting them growing their families while staying on contract. We also show up for who they are beyond the sport,” Alishio said.

Role: Chief executive officer, Toms Shoes

Why She Rocks: Toms Shoes tapped Jessica Alsing as CEO in October 2025, making her the first woman to lead the shoe brand. Previously, she spent nearly a decade at Crocs, leading its ecommerce expansion, and more recently was chief digital officer at Grendene Global Brands. Alsing said she believes that adaptability is essential to career advancement. That means “raising your hand for the role that doesn’t have a clear playbook,” she said. “My career has taken me across multiple countries, brands and functions … often in ways that felt risky and ambitious at the time. Each move gave me a new perspective, a new set of skills and more confidence.”

Role: Creative director, fashion designer & cultural architect 

Why She Rocks: From hip-hop to Hollywood, June Ambrose has been a dynamic fashion force for decades. In the past several years, much of her focus has been on footwear. At Naturalizer, a division of Caleres, she’s helped the brand reach new audiences with a collection that aims to pioneer the “next generation of how we see sport, fashion and lifestyle.” Prior to that partnership, she was appointed creative director of Puma Hoops in 2021. During her three-year tenure, Ambrose spearheaded the brand’s first women’s basketball line and led creative direction of the sports brand’s 2022 New York Fashion Week runway show. She parted ways with Puma when her contract expired at the end of 2023.

Role: Chief legal, risk & human resources officer, Shoe Show Inc.

Why She Rocks: Change is inevitable in business, especially in retail — a fact that E. Abena Antwi has fully accepted. “An important skill good leaders leverage is flexibility,” said the chief legal, risk and human resources officer at Shoe Show Inc. “While predictable scenarios may help leaders feel comfortable with decision-making, it isn’t realistic to expect them.” To prepare for new scenarios and improve her decision-making process, Antwi stores up knowledge as much as possible in advance. “Curiosity is incredibly valuable in that regard,” she said.

Role: Vice president of marketing, Adidas Originals

Why She Rocks: From the start of her career at Adidas 15 years ago, Annie Barrett always had her eye on the marketing team. No openings were available at the time, so Barrett took a position in customer service in Portland, Ore., and waited all of three weeks before asking human resources how to get into her dream department. Her instruction: prove she’s the best customer service rep on the team. Taking that to heart, Barrett doubled down on her work and six months later landed the switch she so coveted. Since then, Barrett’s career with Adidas has taken her quite literally across the world and back. She’s worked at the company’s headquarters in the United Kingdom, United States and Germany, where she now commutes from her home in Amsterdam.

Role: Founder, Paris Texas

Why She Rocks: Annamaria Brivio has no doubts about the definition of sexy: “Sexy is an attitude.” It’s easy to trust the Paris Texas founder, as the brand she established in 2015 has built its reputation by redefining what the term stands for through the duality embedded in its styles and expressed by its name. “The definition of [sexy] has changed through the years, it’s no longer what was depicted in editorials in the 1990s,” said Brivio. “For me, it has always been pretty clear that it lies in an attitude … and in wearing something that makes you feel good about yourself.”

Role: Chief executive officer, Level Shoes

Why She Rocks: As Level continues to evolve and plot its U.S. expansion, Elisa Bruno is proud that women make up 70 percent of her leadership team and have risen in a culture that supports them. But the CEO noted that getting women into leadership roles is only half of the equation. “Retention matters as much as representation. It requires flexibility, trust and a culture that doesn’t ask them to choose between a full career and a full life,” said Bruno. “The conversation about women in leadership can’t only happen in rooms full of women. We need to be honest about the structures that either support or limit women as they grow.”

Role: Designer & stylist

Why She Rocks: L.A. tastemaker Veneda Carter has become a go-to collaborator in footwear. After previously working with Timberland, the designer and stylist has now found a steady partnership with Nike to go along with her successful eponymous jewelry label. Carter has teamed up with the Swoosh twice on the Air Max Muse and was the first outside partner tapped to work with the women’s sneaker. “Collaborations can be a wonderful way to empower female creatives by giving them access to a broader audience and platform,” Carter said. “Nike is an amazing example of this — I feel so grateful for the support and creative trust they’ve given me. They really value female leadership.”

Role: Group president, Steve Madden

Why She Rocks: Teri Cashel specifically points to two individuals who have played influential roles in her career. One is Corinne Moroney, who shaped her path early on. “When I was working as a sales rep, she was a buyer,” she told FN. “She saw potential in me. And when she moved on to another position, she hired me to come work for her. Through that opportunity, Corinne and I have stayed very close through all my career. She’s the person who led me to Steve Madden.” The other mentor is Steve Madden president Amelia Newton Varela, with whom Cashel has worked for 25 years. “She’s given me so many opportunities and has believed in me in such a large way,” Cashel said.

Role: Chief marketing & social impact officer, Kenneth Cole Productions

Why She Rocks: A passion for advocacy is deeply interwoven in Samantha Cohen’s career. “Social impact is ingrained in all that we do all day, every day,” said the chief marketing and social impact officer at Kenneth Cole Productions, where she’s been for 24 years. “It’s at the heart of the business. It’s what has kept me here for all these years.” The brand currently is focused on advocating for mental health, a cause it spotlighted in a recent collaboration with Larroudé that included a shoe collection and an event. Another recent collaborator was Lingua Franca, the sustainability-focused luxury brand led by founder and creative director Rachelle Hruska MacPherson. That collection championed freedom of speech.

Role: Executive vice president, chief product officer & creative director, Kenneth Cole Productions

Why She Rocks: After making the leap from corporate lawyer to creative force at her father’s namesake company, Emily Cole has a lot of perspective about the realities women in leadership face today. “If women aren’t receiving the kind of support they need and deserve, it’s not because other women aren’t doing their part. It’s because men and institutions also must own the problem and work to improve it,” she told FN last year. The executive plays a big role in the company’s purpose-driven platform, helping to give a voice to critical workplace issues such as women’s health.

Role: Senior vice president of global supply chain, Skechers

Why She Rocks: As senior vice president of the global supply chain at Skechers, Lynda Cumming has many accomplishments under her belt. She transformed the company’s supply chain infrastructure so it’s capable of delivering shoes to more than 190 countries. The executive also tracks product flow across 200-plus manufacturing facilities and coordinates movement of more than 300 million pairs of shoes. Out of that experience, Cumming said she learned that staying agile is key because disruptions in sourcing — and business in general — can occur at any time.

Role: Chief marketing & digital officer, Tecovas

Why She Rocks: Krista Dalton believes “authenticity is the new competitive advantage.” “I’m doubling down on the balance of art and science,” said Tecovas’ chief marketing and digital officer. “On the science side, I’m arming myself with AI for analytics and attribution. However, the most critical leadership skill today is ‘originality protection.’ While many use AI to move faster, we use it to move smarter — speeding up analysis without replacing the human fingerprint on our craft.” As for young women breaking into the industry today, Dalton recommends that everyone master the “un-obvious” skills. “If you’re in creative, learn the P&L,” she said. “If you’re in data, study storytelling.”

Role: Founder & chief executive officer, Aeyde

Why She Rocks: Luisa Dames’ razor-sharp approach has contributed to the success and popularity of Aeyde, which stands apart for its signature understated and clean aesthetic combined with a sweet-spot price positioning. “There’s one thing that I’ve always said to my team since the very beginning, which is that the power lies in the focus,” said the founder and chief executive officer of the digital-native label. Looking at how far the cult footwear brand has come in 10 years, it’s not hard to believe her. “For me, it’s very powerful to finish things. And to finish things, you need to be very focused on just one thing you really do in an excellent way,” Dames said.

Role: Founder & chief executive officer, Harlem’s Fashion Row

Why She Rocks: Despite intense political pressures around diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), Brandice Daniel has forged ahead, opening doors for Black talents everywhere. For instance, the organization reunited with Gap earlier this year, when Black designers put their spin on denim staples. “I think we’re at this place right now where we all have some big choices to make, and what I’m finding is that in the fashion and retail space, there is still humanity in the forefront,” she said at the Black Footwear Forum last fall. “I think we’re at this crossroads of seeing each other’s humanity, seeing people who may not look like us or agree with us or believe like us, and actually seeing [them as people] to be valued.”

Role: Vice president of direct-to-consumer, North America, Puma

Why She Rocks: Throughout her time at Puma, Katie Darling has experienced many sides of the company — wholesale, retail, planning, operations, marketing, strategy — all of which have helped her understand the bigger picture and how the pieces fit together. And over the years, Darling, who now serves as vice president of direct-to-consumer in North America, has noticed societal trends related to women and their careers. “When I was younger in my career, there was this thing of, like, ‘You can have it all,'” Darling said. “I don’t think so. I think you do have to make choices and trade-offs, and that’s the same with everything in life. You make sacrifices for your family to be able to give them the opportunities you want them to have, or just to be present, and you make sacrifices to have a career as well.”

Role: Vice president of design & development, Marc Fisher Footwear

Why She Rocks: As the footwear industry undergoes one of the most disruptive eras in history, Eliza French, vice president of design and development at Marc Fisher Footwear, is going old-school. “My approach has been to invest more in personal relationships, in-person meetings and meaningful connections,” said French. “There’s something powerful about learning from people with experience, and I think we’ve started to lose sight of that.” One such avenue she’s pursuing is Two Ten Footwear Foundation’s Women in the Footwear Industry (WIFI) community. In February, French was named to the WIFI Leadership Council, a diverse group of footwear professionals who help support women’s advancement in the industry.

Role: Senior vice president & chief marketing officer, Crocs

Why She Rocks: Carly Gomez stepped into a new role at Crocs last year, taking on the title of senior vice president and chief marketing officer, and infusing the knowledge she learned from previous roles at Vans and Fabletics. Gomez said she has clear priorities at the company: “The two most important things for me are driving culture internally and driving culture externally.” Throughout her career, Gomez has followed one important mantra: “Be hard on the work and easy on each other.” As for the work itself, she added, it should include strong storytelling to “get people to fall in love with your brand.”

Role: Senior vice president of product strategy & development, Johnston & Murphy

Why She Rocks: Johnston & Murphy’s Deanna Grubbs is committed to helping others. Over a decade ago, the senior vice president of product strategy and development founded a passion project with her family called Bows & Ballcaps after her oldest daughter developed the autoimmune disease alopecia areata, which causes hair loss. The organization provides bows, ballcaps and accessories to children who have lost their hair due to alopecia or cancer treatments. Aside from the products, Grubbs said, “the most important part of our work is the emotional support we provide to children and their families.”

Role: Chief digital officer, Rack Room Shoes

Why She Rocks: While artificial intelligence has spooked many, Molly Hartney is embracing responsible tech innovation at Rack Room Shoes, especially given her newly created role of chief digital officer, a title she added in July 2025 after previously serving as chief marketing officer. “I am deeply invested in building AI literacy, particularly in how artificial intelligence can be applied responsibly to marketing, inventory optimization online, personalization and internal productivity,” said Hartney, who added that leaders don’t need to be “technologists, but I do believe we must be fluent enough to ask the right questions.”

Role: Owner & buyer, Hirshleifers

Why She Rocks: Lori Hirshleifer is part of a powerful family business in which women play a central role. The owner and buyer at the Long Island luxury retailer Hirshleifers recalled that her late mother, Lillian Hirshleifer, who died in 2025 at the age of 97, was a guiding hand in her life. “My mother was my mentor, which was its own experience, full of beauty and complexity in equal parts,” Hirshleifer told FN. “She was such a force and loved her work so fully.” Today, she and her sisters Caryn Hirshleifer and Shelley Shapiro run the family business, which is based in Manhasset.

Role: Chief buying officer & group fashion venture officer, Mytheresa

Why She Rocks: Tiffany Hsu experiences extra pressures that come with the dual role of being a mother and retail executive, especially in her industry. “Besides being a good mom and good at your job, there is also another level of expectation of being a ‘fashion mom’ because you have to look great, as well,” she said. These are only a few of the challenges women face compared with male counterparts in a business that “has a bit of a boys’ club feeling to it,” as Hsu put it. “I don’t want to say the cliché, but obviously there isn’t enough female senior management, let alone creative directors.”

Role: Vice president & general manager of Global Running, Nike

Why She Rocks: Tanya Hvizdak is a Nike lifer in her 25th year with the company, but it hasn’t felt that long because she’s been able to identify her core tenet and pair it with her passion. For the vice president and general manager of Global Running and former college basketball player, sports has always been a passion. And today what motivates her is a drive for equity and equality in an industry that hasn’t always delivered it for women and people of color. “Now we have the ability to pull even more women into the business, and you’re seeing more women rise within the ranks,” Hvizdak said. “So it’s even more important, from a support perspective, to have that peership for all of us. It helps lead all of us to success.”

Role: Senior vice president & general merchandise manager of women’s accessories, Bloomingdale’s

Why She Rocks: In an ever-changing department store climate, Jennifer Jones has been a constant — and reassuring — executive presence at Bloomingdale’s. As the leader at the center of the footwear and accessories business, she continues to broaden the company’s reach at a critical time. Jones has launched and expanded major brands, from Christian Louboutin and Saint Laurent to Staud and Veronica Beard. The athletic lifestyle business has also been a priority, with brands like On resonating with Bloomingdale’s consumers.

Role: Vice president & division merchandise manager, women’s and kids’ footwear, Nordstrom

Why She Rocks: Curiosity has always been at the core of how Anna Kaplan approaches leadership. “In times of uncertainty, I’ve found that the best solutions come from the people closest to the customer,” said the Nordstrom executive. “This spring alone, I visited over 20 store locations to sit with department managers and salespeople. These conversations are valuable and offer surface insights I wouldn’t have found elsewhere.”

Role: Senior Vice President, North America, New Balance

Why She Rocks: New Balance veteran Tracy Knauer is kicking off a new chapter at the brand following her recent promotion. Knauer has over 20 years’ experience at New Balance, with roles that span marketing, product, sales and direct-to-consumer. She joined the company in 2005 and was most recently vice president of North American marketing, e-commerce and consumer analytics. New Balance continues to resonate with younger consumers, and Knauer understands the power of its A-list women’s athlete roster. “New Balance does not view women’s sports as a subcategory — it’s central to our vision. Women’s sports are proving over and over to drive energy, culture and innovation, and consumers are excited to engage,” Knauer said. “Our roster is strong with world-class athletes like Coco Gauff, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Cameron Brink and Michelle Cooper. They each embody New Balance’s fearlessly independent ethos and transcend the worlds of sport and culture, on and off the court or field.”

Role: Chief executive officer, REI Co-op

Why She Rocks: Mary Beth Laughton, who was appointed to lead REI Co-Op in early 2025 after previous executive roles at Athleta and Nike, believes in growth and connection. “Mentorship has mattered in my career, and I encourage everyone to seek mentors and be one,” she said. “One program I love [at REI] is our recently launched Campfire Circles, where peers come together for honest conversations [about] what they’re navigating, so they can learn from each other and feel that sense of community.”

Role: President, North America, Coach

Why She Rocks: Leigh Manheim’s leadership philosophy is all about setting up her teams for success. “Leading teams through periods of rapid change can feel so overwhelming, so I want to make them feel grounded and confident,” said the president of North America for Coach. “Building a culture where change feels like an opportunity rather than a scary disruption but also being comfortable with not having all the answers is important.” As for her biggest advice to young professionals, she said, “It’s so important to focus not just on what you do, like your technical skills and your functional skills, but also how you do it. Those who stand out are individuals who can pair that functional expertise with emotional intelligence and relationship building.”

Role: Vice president of wholesale, Burberry; Vice chair, Fashion Footwear Charitable Foundation

Why She Rocks: Sarah Lubas always aims to show up authentically — whether she’s driving commercial success at one of the world’s most recognizable brands or helping spearhead the rapid expansion of breast cancer charity Shoes for a Cure. The vice president of wholesale at Burberry, who also serves as vice chair of the Fashion Footwear Charitable Foundation, has been instrumental in developing Shoes for a Cure in its two main markets, New York and Miami. “Successfully navigating the fast-faced nature of a senior executive role alongside this large- scale charitable expansion was a rewarding milestone,” said the executive, who was just 7 years old when she lost her own mother to cancer.

Role: Senior vice president, general merchandise manager and head merchant, DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse

Why She Rocks: Mackin has served in pivotal merchandising roles at May Co. (later Macy’s), Famous Footwear and now DSW. But that pales in comparison to her successful home life. “My family is my biggest accomplishment in life. I have three amazing kids,” Mackin said, adding that her focus on family gives her staff permission to do the same. “I think my team always trusts and respects me for that. I put that first. But it doesn’t mean I’m not also really good at what I do in my job.”

Role: Global chief marketing officer & head of digital, Cole Haan

Why She Rocks: The best advice Krissie Millan received from a peer was to “never take yourself out of the race.” She explained: “Women, for whatever reason, always think of it as “I may not be ready for that role,’” said the global chief marketing officer and head of digital at Cole Haan. “Just go for it and give your best.” Millan noted that taking one’s self out of the race means you’re making it harder to participate or to later get back into the ring.

Role: Chief executive officer, Ariat International

Why She Rocks: Liz O’Neill took over the top spot at Ariat International on April 2, and she already has a clear idea how best to lead the organization. “What’s crystallized in this transition to CEO is that I add more value operating at altitude,” said O’Neill. “My role isn’t to be in the weeds; it’s to help leaders lead, to create the conditions for the right decisions to be made, and to ask the questions that cut through complexity.” She brings with her deep experience, including more than a decade at Levi Strauss & Co., most recently as chief operating officer.

Role: Master bootmaker, Berluti

Why She Rocks: The greatest challenge Paula Perier-Latour had to face in her career was overcoming some of her own personality traits. “I was a shy young woman with little self- confidence, which may seem completely incompatible with a role that requires promoting expertise and maintaining regular, direct relationships with clients — especially at such a high level of expectation,” said Perier-Latour, master bootmaker at Berluti. “However, I was so determined and so convinced that this was the right career path for me that everything gradually fell into place. This profession has profoundly transformed me.”

Role: President & chief executive officer, Carel

Why She Rocks: Frédérique Picard began her career at “a time when having children in an extremely competitive company was not easy at all,” and her experience in hard-charging corporate cultures includes a 12-year stint at L’Oréal and a managing director role at French fragrance house Annick Goutal. Serendipity played a large role in her switch to entrepreneurship. During a cocktail party at the Musée du Louvre, another guest brought up “an artisanal company in the leather business” that was for sale: Carel. Charmed by its heritage and potential, Picard stepped up with a plan for the French shoe brand. From the get-go, Carel’s positioning has been a quiet rebuttal of a form of high-handedness associated with traditional luxury footwear.

Role: Vice president & general manager, Chaco and The Collective at Wolverine Worldwide

Why She Rocks: For Kate Pinkham, human connection still trumps technology when it comes to effective leadership. “While I see real value in adopting new AI tools and applications, periods of disruption often call for the most fundamental leadership skills,” she said. “I’m doubling down on listening, empathy and asking better questions. Our teams are overwhelmed and, more than anything, they need clarity and stability from their leaders. Technology matters, but trust, presence and human connection matter more in moments like this,” she said. In her dual role, many of Pinkham’s direct reports are women. “The transition from leading people to leading leaders has been one of my biggest challenges. It can be difficult to let go of being deeply involved in the details. I wouldn’t say I’ve fully ‘solved’ this, but one framework that helps me is regularly asking, ‘What are the things that only I can do?’ That question helps me be more intentional about where I lean in and where I empower others to lead.”

Role: Creative director & head of design, Aerosoles

Why She Rocks: As an immigrant and a woman in a male-led industry, Fabiana Rigamonti had to be “very intentional” about how she showed up. “Early in my career, I assumed strong product would speak for itself,” said Rigamonti, who joined Aerosoles as creative director and head of design in 2022 following stints at Global Brands Group, Highline United and Schwartz & Benjamin. “It doesn’t. What changed everything was learning to tie creativity directly to business: customer, margin, growth. Once I did that, the conversation shifted. I wasn’t asking for validation anymore, I was driving decisions.”

Role: Chief people officer & general counsel, Aldo Group

Why She Rocks: One of the biggest challenges in Catherine Ross’ career came when her company president at the time asked her to expand her role by adding human resources and communication functions to her legal responsibilities. “Overnight, I went from being an expert to a beginner in a critical area of the organization,” Ross explained. “Just a few months later, the pandemic hit. I was not only stepping into a new role but doing so in a context where everything was evolving. I truly felt like I was building the plane while flying it.” Ross admitted that the transition was “destabilizing,” but the experience taught her that leadership is not about mastering everything.

Role: Chief marketing officer, Jordan Brand

Why She Rocks: Caitlin Sargent’s commitment to the next generation can be seen on a daily basis in her role as Jordan Brand’s chief marketing officer. But what’s less visible is her longtime work with Big Brothers Big Sisters. She’s a board member for the local agency serving Portland, Ore., and Southwest Washington; and a “little” she matched with at 8 years old is now 23, and the first person in her family to graduate from college. Upon first joining the organization, Sargent said she expected to have an impact on the child’s life but didn’t anticipate the impact she would have on her own.

Role: Chief running officer, Fleet Feet

Why She Rocks: Jenny Simpson’s home is in Boulder, Colo., but she’s spent the last year-and-a-half on the road since her retirement from professional running. The World Champion and Olympic bronze medalist took a year-long road trip in 2024 to run in all 50 states. And she’s now spending six months in Carrboro, N.C., to acquaint herself with Fleet Feet and her new role as chief running officer. There are essentially two sides to the job: One is to be an ambassador for Fleet Feet and the other is advising on all sides of the business to make sure it is meeting runners’ needs.

Role: Division president of New York Brands, Caleres

Why She Rocks: Kristen Sosa is embracing the uncertain. “Disruption has always been part of our industry, but today’s environment is especially volatile,” said the division president of New York Brands at Caleres. “As a leader, this type of moment requires the mindset to embrace uncertainty while maintaining discipline, rigor and the ability to adapt quickly.” To address the growing use of artificial intelligence in the industry, Sosa noted that she’s invested time in building fluency around new AI capabilities to improve efficiency and enable smarter, faster decisions. “At the same time, I’m staying deeply focused on the evolving marketing and distribution ecosystem as consumers discover our brands in more ways than ever,” she said.

Role: Vice president of marketing, Salomon

Why She Rocks: The ability to move fast is the best skill to have right now for Jenny Taylor, vice president of marketing at Salomon. “It sounds so simple, but the ability to move fast in a smart way and make decisions and empower your teams to continue to make progress are the best soft skills to have right now,” she said. Those skills came in handy for Taylor when Salomon started to build out its own retail stores about 18 months ago, she noted. “We had an incredibly small team at the time, so the challenge was to find the skill sets to work fast and to make sure we were aligned with the brand strategy globally to deliver what customers wanted from Salomon at retail,” she explained. “We went through a lot of trial and error, and it bonded us as a team, and it was incredible.”

Role: Founders, Nomasei

Why They Rock: In a moment when technology is bringing a fresh wave of change, Nomasei founders Marine Braquet and Paule Tenaillon are almost radically human in their approach to disruption. “Maybe it’s more than ever back to basic skills: Always, more soft skills and [interpersonal capabilities] are key from what we experience,” Braquet said. “The work of the hand, the expertise of craftsmanship and creativity are key for us.” That “human first, values first, craft first” approach is how they’ve built Nomasei as a brand that’s explicitly about women, for women.

Role: Vice president of North America marketing, Hoka

Why She Rocks: Having started her career with a nonprofit, Allie Tsavdarides never expected to work in footwear. But it’s now been 16 years since she first entered the industry, and the Hoka marketing exec is still enamored with it. “We get fresh new stories to look at all the time, particularly in a brand that has performance and lifestyle,” Tsavdarides said. “I absolutely love the ability to step into the culture and work with creatives and fashion while also looking at innovation, athletes and the communities there, too.” It was Toms’ founding mission to donate a pair of shoes for every one sold that brought Tsavdarides into the industry in 2010. After seven years there, she hopped to New Balance and Ugg before landing at Hoka, where she was promoted to her current role in late 2024.

Role: Senior vice president & chief merchant, Foot Locker & Kids Foot Locker

Why She Rocks: According to Foot Locker executive Michelle Wang, the first step to success is identifying your superpower. “Find your superpower, ground yourself in it and have a strong sense of self. I often ask women I mentor what they believe their superpower is. A former boss once made me realize that striving to be perfect at everything is unrealistic, and what you’re naturally strong at can become exceptional, while other areas may simply become good enough,” Wang said. The chief merchant, who recently completed her first marathon, is a lifelong customer of Foot Locker — and as a mom of two, now also shops at Kids Foot Locker.

Role: Chief marketing officer, Reebok

Why She Rocks: After 17 years at Steve Madden, Gabriella Weiser joined Reebok as its chief marketing officer in 2025. Her arrival came amid the brand’s attempt to revitalize itself in basketball and lifestyle, efforts now reinforced by Angel Reese becoming a signature athlete and Karol G forming a new collaborative partnership. “Women are major drivers of culture and style, especially in fashion and footwear,” Weiser said. “In basketball, women are having an incredible moment right now, not just as players but as a force shaping fashion, music and culture more broadly. Having women involved, and leading, these initiatives is very important.”

Role: Senior vice president of global sourcing, Michael Kors

Why She Rocks: Jung Yoon is particularly keen on transferring her knowledge to the next generation of women entering the fashion industry. “If there are college students wanting to tour the office and [looking] to hear some advice, I would always like to host,” she said. As for her own career path, Yoon’s academic background was in marketing and statistics. And most of her jobs have come through personal recommendations as opposed to the usual resumé. “I tell everybody that you [are] your resumé. How you show up to work, to your friends and to people around you — that is your resumé every day,” she said.

Role: WNBA Player

Why She Rocks: This spring, Las Vegas Aces star Jackie Young became the WNBA’s first million-dollar woman when she signed a historic one-year contract. “This is a real tipping point for women in sports and it proves we deserve equal opportunities and hopefully will inspire the next generation to aim even higher,” said the Skechers athlete, referring to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the players and the league. For women rising in the sport, Young had some sage advice. “Stay true to yourself and keep working hard, no matter what challenges you face. The path is opening up more than ever, and those who follow will have greater opportunities, more support and increased recognition. The future is bright for women’s basketball,” she said.