I stopped waiting for permission to lead and started trusting the value of my perspective. Confidence grew every time I chose contribution over self-doubt.
Gwen Ward · In Her Own Words
Her Story
About Gwen
Gwen Ward is a seasoned retail and beauty industry leader with over 30 years of experience building exceptional guest experiences and developing high-performing teams. A proud alumna of Texas State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising with a minor in Business Administration, Gwen launched her career through JCPenney's management trainee program — a pivotal experience that ignited her passion for retail leadership. From there, she cultivated an impressive career trajectory spanning some of the industry's most recognized names, including Gap, The Limited, and Sephora inside JCPenney, where she earned multiple honors including the Leadership Award, Education Engagement Award, and Sales and Service Award. Her path was one of intentional growth, moving from general and district management roles into increasingly strategic positions focused on the intersection of people development and guest experience.
Now serving as Senior Manager of In-Store Experiences for the West Division at Ulta Beauty, Gwen brings nearly four years with the company and a wealth of cross-functional expertise to one of retail's most dynamic brands. In this role, she partners with senior field leadership to drive consistent, measurable execution across more than 700 stores, translating high-level strategy into tangible, store-level impact. Among her most significant contributions is co-architecting Ulta Beauty's reimagined guest experience operating model — a framework that connects associate behaviors directly to guest outcomes and has since been adopted company-wide. Prior to this, she led a team of over 75 field leaders across both the East and West Divisions as Director of Field Services, overseeing salon and specialty boutique performance at enterprise scale.
What distinguishes Gwen as a leader is not only her breadth of experience but her deeply people-centered philosophy. She believes that the best retail experiences are not built through policy alone, but through teams that feel seen, supported, and connected to a larger purpose. Her areas of specialization — guest experience strategy, field team coaching, brand partnership cultivation, and cross-functional program activation — reflect a career built at the intersection of vision and execution. Recognized in the 2026 edition of Influential Women, Gwen leads through influence rather than authority, crediting her success to an authentic love for people, a commitment to lifelong learning, and the relationships she has nurtured across every chapter of her career.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Gwen
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to a genuine love for what I do, the meaningful relationships I have built throughout my career, and a commitment to remaining open to feedback and continuous learning. My years of hands-on experience in retail and beauty have been invaluable, and at the heart of it all is a deep appreciation for people.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have ever received is to be your authentic self — to show up as real and relatable while consistently bringing your best. On a more personal level, I was also encouraged to allow people to care for you and to accept help when it is offered, which has been just as meaningful to me.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice is to be a good listener and a genuine student of the business. Take the time to understand what you enjoy, where you excel, and how you come across to others — then learn to leverage those strengths. In beauty retail, you must truly love customers, product, and people to thrive. I would also encourage young women not to pursue leadership simply for the title, but rather to lead for impact and to build credibility through knowledge and relationship.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The greatest challenge we face is making the brick-and-mortar experience compelling in an increasingly digital world, while also preparing teams — many of whom entered the workforce during or after COVID — to engage guests confidently and authentically in person. At the same time, this presents a tremendous opportunity: the ability to create consistent, high-quality in-store experiences that give guests a reason to return, discover new products, and connect with exceptional service in a way that digital simply cannot replicate.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that guide me most in both my work and personal life are faith, family, trust, love, and a genuine care for others. I also place great importance on finding joy in what I do and remaining open to allowing others to pour into me just as I seek to pour into them.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.