Sharen Jester Turney

1) Sharen Jester Turney is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Victoria’s Secret. She is a girl who was raised on a farm in a small town in Oklahoma, and is now named the third highest earning woman by Forbes Magazine. After coming out of high school as an honor student, Sharen attended the University of Oklahoma. After Turney graduated, she was offered a job in Neiman Marcus where she spent a few years in their merchandising department. Sharen then moved on from Neiman Marcus to Victoria’s Secret. She started off as the President of Victoria’s Secret Direct, which is the brands catalogue and e-commerce arm. In 2006, Sharen Turney became the official President and CEO of the Victoria’s Secret brand. The brand consists of all of the Victoria’s Secret stores, Victoria’s Secret Direct, Victoria’s Secret Pink, and their beauty line. Turney redefined the catalogs image from, as she stated in Forbes, “A substitute for Playboy”, to one that was more similar to a Vogue layout, where lingerie, sleepwear, clothes, and cosmetics appear through the catalog rather than the woman. I selected Sharen Jester Turney as a leader because I have always loved shopping at Victoria’s Secret. After reading and doing research about Sharen, it is clear that she is a leader. She came from a small farm town, and worked her way to become the CEO of a huge brand. She stayed true to her beliefs and put what she felt could improve Victoria’s Secret into the company. She is not only a leader, but an inspiration in my eyes. She proves that with some work and thought, any woman can become an important part of a company.
2) a. Victoria’s Secret is the largest American retailer of lingerie. There are currently over 1,000 stores across the U.S. This brand was established by Roy Raymond in the early 1970’s. The beginning concept of the brand was to be similar to a Victorian boudouir. Roy started off with three stores and a catalog business. Victoria’s Secret was acquired by Limited Brands in