Meet Laurie Thompson, who leads Global Field Visual, the team responsible for bringing our merchandising strategies to life and driving growth in stores. Not only is Laurie one of the funniest people at Old Navy, she's an amazing leader who supports teams in both the Field and HQ. In honor of Leader Appreciation month, we salute you, Laurie!
HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE: Basically, I speak Field and HQ. I am sort of the liaison between the product strategies that impact the field and the teams here at HQ that make the product decisions that impact the field. My team plays a dual role, influencing HQ and building capabilities in the field around visual merchandising.
WHAT LED YOU TO OLD NAVY: I was with Gap Inc. for 18 years, then I left for six years to work in fast fashion before coming back to Old Navy, where I have been for the last seven years. The brand was uniquely positioned in the marketplace with a specialty POV and a value proposition and seemed poised for growth. I wanted to be a part of that.
WHAT SETS OLD NAVY APART: Our culture of fun and community. The teams at Old Navy genuinely care about the communities they serve, and we do everything with HEART.
BEST PART ABOUT YOUR TEAM: We really do play as hard as we work, and we work pretty hard. 😉
WHAT MAKES A #GREATBOSS: Listening, honesty, humility and humanity.
ADVICE FOR OTHER LEADERS: Inspire, protect and remove obstacles. If you do that, you can just get out of the way and let your team take off.
WHAT MAKES YOU #OLDNAVYPROUD: Working for a brand that sets high expectations for itself and makes bold statements about achieving them.