Nancy Green is currently President and CEO of Athleta, leading the brand through a high-growth phase and brand evolution. Athleta’s mission is to ignite a community of active, healthy, confident women and girls who empower each other to reach their limitless potential. Since taking the helm at Athleta, Nancy has been spearheading and implementing multiple empowerment and sustainability changes for the brand – beginning at root production levels, all the way through to direct consumer interaction.
Throughout her three decades of retail, leading high growth businesses and teams have been her expertise along with creating and developing brand vision, strategy, and breakthrough product and marketing. She is also known as an impactful mentor of talent who has developed strong leaders across the industry. She has worked for Gap Inc. for 21 years over two phases, including her first 16 years in retail and most recent 5 years since rejoining the company in 2009.
Prior to joining Athleta in 2013, she served as EVP and Chief Creative Officer at Old Navy, leading the merchandising, design and visual merchandising teams. Previously, Green served as CEO of Shabby Chic, where she partnered with the founder to create and implement a vision and growth strategy for a multi-channel lifestyle brand. In addition, she ran the Pottery Barn division of Williams-Sonoma, Inc as executive vice president from 2003-2007. She spent 16 years at Gap Inc from 1986-2002 overseeing merchandising in a variety of divisions, including Gap brand both within the US and globally, as well as the kids and baby division for Old Navy.
How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
I come from a long history of pioneering New England ancestors and strong-willed people that cared deeply and talked openly about the social issues of our time. My grandparents published the local newspaper. My parents were doctors, and public health nurses, anthropologists. I was surrounded by strong women who were professionals raising families and didn’t hesitate to get involved and share their opinions – and who cared deeply about their community and their world. I learned very young that you must care about doing good for others in the world, and you can't be a passive bystander.
Throughout my career, I’ve been happiest when working with a team to creatively solve problems and needs for customers. I love to build. Build teams, build brands, build businesses. I am passionate about connecting with how people live their lives, and using those insights to create and build product, experiences, culture and business.
I am also a passionate mentor and have always enjoyed managing teams and seeing people grow into their full potential. I believe that showing you care is a strength, not a liability. I don’t separate having high professional expectations from having compassion.
How has your previous employment experience aided your tenure with the company?
I have been working since I was 13. Some of my earliest jobs were in retail stores. One very impactful professional turning point was when I left retail to become a stylist in NY. I was working with amazing photographers, models and celebrities. I had dream gigs. It was very stimulating and exciting. But it wasn’t fulfilling. I missed the direct interaction with people. I missed hearing people’s stories. I realized I liked reality better than fantasy. I was recruited by Gap on an airplane. Coming to Gap Inc., I had real connection with the values the Fishers stood for. The value of doing more than selling clothes had huge meaning for me. I am proud to work for a company that made style and quality accessible to the many. That treats customers with respect. And that stands up for doing the right thing particularly when it comes to equality and social responsibility – and these are some of the main reasons I have worked for the company for nearly 24 years combined.
What have the highlights and challenges been during your tenure at the company?
My current role is the highlight of my career. I get to make a difference, but more importantly WE get to make a difference- working with an amazing team, creating a product that meets a woman’s unique needs; by breaking down stereotypes of female strength and beauty and uniting women to reach their limitless potential; and ensuring we have a clear commitment to protecting the planet for the next generation.
Through the years, I see highlights as other times I was able to have an impact by addressing an unmet need. For example, I was part of the leadership team for women’s denim at Gap. Creating denim that was made for women – not just shrinking a men’s silhouette.
Major challenges have truly been few and far between. And I think that’s the big lesson: daily frustrations can feel monumental, but when you’re pushing through in the right direction, chances are you’ll look back and barely recall those challenges.
What advice can you offer to women who want a career in your industry?
Don’t be afraid of imperfection. Perfection can slow you down and prevent great. Things will rarely go as planned, so get ready to learn quickly and adjust quickly on the upside or the downside. if you use good judgement and guide yourself and others by good values, understand your customers, and where things are headed, take good partners, and use good business discipline, something great will come of it.
What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in your career to date?
It all comes down to the people you work with - their talent, their collaboration, their accountability, their ability to build and develop teams, and the shared purpose behind your work.
People, purpose and values create culture. Celebrating and nurturing a healthy culture is really important. Being clear on values and why they define the brand, how we show up and how we work together is important. Don’t treat culture as an add-on to business – it needs to be integrated into building a successful business and it needs room to grow. This is particularly important in a high growth business because you hire a lot of new people.
Motivating and developing your team is absolutely critical, and that comes from being clear on what we are focused on building long-term as well as what we need to achieve along the way. Challenging and empowering others to bring and lead new ideas or better ways of working, and championing their ideas is essential. Give credit to others, and place them in the spotlight.
Don’t forget gratitude and compassion. People work hard and it's very important to express gratitude, especially when you are asking your team to take the next big leap with you. And I think compassion is critical – and often underrated. Respecting people’s full lives, and being clear on accountability for business expectations, do not have to be in conflict.
And finally listen - to your team, employees and to your customers. It's really important to take the time to meet with and get to know people. Treating others well is not only the right thing to do, it’s sound business.
How do you maintain a work/life balance?
In the last few years, I’ve really come to think of it as work life integration. Work/life balance sounds very compartmentalized and that’s just not how life works. My work isn’t a separate part of my life or identity. I don’t stop being a mother, wife, sister, and friend when I’m at the office. And I’m better at all of these when I take care of myself. There certainly is a need for balance – but everything has to work together. In our office, people work hard and are accountable – and they also go to their child’s first day of school and important soccer games. They are there for doctor appointments and talent shows. And I believe their overall performance is enhanced by this.
I think one of the most important things people can do is to take care of themselves. This is the piece that so often gets put aside. I like to start my day with physical activity – preferably outdoors. I am lucky enough to live near hiking trails with stunning views of the San Francisco Bay and start most days getting out there. On the weekends I have a regular yoga practice which keeps me very grounded , and balanced in strength and flexibility.
What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace?
It's important to have role models. I’ve seen it improve exponentially over the course of my career, but women being able to see other women in the roles and lives they aspire to is critical.
How has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal life?
This is a very important topic to me. More than 20 years ago, I was one of the first women with children in a merchandising role at Gap. I had a job with a lot of responsibility and a good amount of travel. I had really seen only one or two women do this kind of job with children and when I went on maternity leave with my first child I was uncertain about coming back. It was hard to imagine in a large part because It was so rare. But as I contemplated my situation there was one woman who came to mind at the office that had a young child. Her name was Patti Derosa. I reached out to Patti and told her I didn’t know if I could do it. And she gave me some pretty simple advice – ‘Just try it. If you don’t try, you’ll never know.’ She told me to come back and at least see how it went. To give it a few months. If it didn’t work out, that was OK too…so I did and it made all the difference. I literally wouldn’t be where I am today – CEO of Athleta with four children – if I hadn’t tried. Eventually I worked on Patti’s team at Gap(?) and I learned a great deal from her. Because of my experience, I’m very passionate about mentoring and throughout my career have worked with women both within Gap Inc. as well as outside the business.
Which other female leaders do you admire and why?
Jenny Ming was always one of the most important mentors in my first chapter at gap Inc. She showed me what a strong leader with total compassion for the human side of what we do looked like. She was demanding and tough as a business women, yet also caring and highly nurturing. She was one of the women I learned from in how to be a mother and a president of a very successful business.
While I have never met Rose Marcario, CEO of Patagonia, I have spoken to her several times on the phone in shared peer mentoring conversations. I admire what she has done to continue Patagonia’s growth as a brand while fiercely taking a stand, as a business, on environmental stewardship. She gave me great advice as we were embarking on our sustainabilty strategy, and I am looking forward to spending time with her in person one day.
Doris Fisher has also been a huge impact for me. She and Don started the Gap as equal partners in 1969. They always took their responsibility to their employees and community very seriously. I’ve been fortunate to have had nearly 25 years cumulatively with Gap, to have known Doris personally and to have seen the impact she’s had on building community and the importance of giving back into the company. I was recently named to the board of Gap Foundation which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. It’s very meaningful to me to be a part of this Gap Inc. legacy.
What do you want the company to accomplish in the next year?
Next year is Athleta’s 20th Anniversary. It of course creates a moment for us to reflect on where we’ve been and where we are going. This brand has an incredible legacy. I think we have a meaningful opportunity to show how a brand can lead through purpose. In the last year and a half, we’ve clearly set our mission and values and are aligning our business very clearly to those. We are a brand that stands for inclusivity – in shape, size, age, athletic ability. We are about supporting each other and our collective limitless potential. We are committed to protecting the planet for the next generation with public sustainability goals. We will show that being purposeful is not altruistic, it is the foundation of success. I believe by leading our industry we can influence not only the industry, but overall culture.