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44% of US RMNs Are Led By Women

44% of US RMNs Are Led By Women

Published 3 weeks ago
Description

I've got some really good news to share on today's Retail Media Breakfast Club. Despite some of the things that can leave me feeling a little disheartened about the retail media industry, I recently discovered something genuinely exciting: 44% of US retail media networks are led by women. That's substantially higher than the representation of women in VP and SVP roles reported in recent McKinsey research.

I put together a database of named P&L leaders across the NRF's 2026 Top 100 US retailers, and I'm sharing what I found, along with a few theories about why retail media might be getting something right. From the role of relationships and women's leadership networks, to the influence of marketing functions, I'm exploring what might be behind these numbers. I don't have a definitive conclusion just yet, but I'd love to hear what you think we're doing well as an industry, and what we should do with this information.


This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop

Timeline

[00:51] – The surprising discovery: 44% of US retail media networks are led by women.

[01:46] – How I built my database using the NRF's 2026 Top 100 US retailers.

[03:14] – Why retail media might be a more welcoming segment of the media industry.

[03:44] – How women's leadership networks and meaningful relationships can help women reach the top.

[05:39] – Could retail media's roots in marketing help explain the numbers?

[06:07] – Why I ruled out the glass cliff theory as an explanation.

[06:35] – What these findings mean for the industry, and why I want to hear your thoughts.


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