The Women in Retail Leadership Summit offers women executives at leading retailers and brands the opportunity to improve both their professional lives and business strategies.
The invitation-only Summit enables attendees access to powerful presentations and keynotes from women retail leaders and other inspirational speakers on everything from how to be a great leader to the latest and greatest retail technologies.
Attendees to this unique event share best practices with new contacts and old friends, discuss industry issues, and find inspiration around how to conquer challenges in both their personal and professional lives.
Cari Hochbein currently works for Gap Inc. as the Manager of Customer and Associate Engagement. While she’s only been with the company since July 2022, she’s excited for what’s ahead as her team has [informally] deemed 2023, “the year of the store”. Prior to Gap, Cari worked in advertising for Giant Eagle Inc., a regional Grocer based in Pittsburgh, PA. During her time with Giant Eagle, she earned her MBA from The Pennsylvania State University. In 2018, Cari found her passion for Specialty Apparel and joined American Eagle Outfitters, where she ultimately held multiple roles within Store Operations. In fact, Cari met Melissa Wong during her time at AEO. They met while Cari was on the communication team, leading the implementation of the Zipline communication platform. Cari immediately knew Zipline was the right choice for the company, as it aligned with the team’s mission and goals. However, she didn’t realize this project would lead to such valued colleagues and friends – that would continue to be part of her story far beyond the rollout. The success Cari saw with Zipline highlighted her strengths in Project Management, and she quickly transitioned into leading several other company initiatives including the implementation of Scan & Pay technology, the launch of a new MPOS system, and the growth of AEO’s Digital Shopping Platform. Last year, Cari attended her first WIRLS summit with Melissa and the Zipline team, where she was honored to be named a “2022 Woman on the Rise” alongside an incredible panel of women.
Cari lives in her hometown of Saxonburg, PA; just north of Pittsburgh. She loves the small-town life – and as a self-proclaimed “townie”, she tries to attend every festival and parade. She also enjoys yoga and unplugging from long days by walking her golden retriever, Maggie. This summer, Cari is most excited to spend time with her family in Cape May. She also just returned from a big family weekend in Deep Creek, Maryland where she hosted a 50th Anniversary Celebration for her parents.
