Her Story
About Salma
Salma Lemongello brings 27 years of retail expertise to her work, with a focus on driving performance, building high-performing teams, and developing talent. After earning her college degree, she joined Macy's through its executive training program and spent more than 20 years advancing through the organization. There she participated in a strategic leadership program featuring external coaching for a full year, which helped elevate her skills in strategic thinking and C-suite navigation. She also developed a Latin strategy that became a national initiative and created the first pop-up store on the island of Puerto Rico. Recruited by Saks Global, she led the South region and Neiman Marcus off-price divisions nationally for four years, achieving number one performance each year. Following the company's bankruptcy, she has spent the past five months with her family and is now preparing to return to the industry in a role that aligns with her passion for modernizing retail experiences, particularly in beauty, fragrances, and luxury categories.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Salma
01What do you attribute your success to?
I really would attribute my success to all the mentors that I've had. I've been very fortunate to have people who have really kind of adopted me very early on, and helped guide me, and helped to give me opportunities. I think I'm in a place now where I give back. You get, and at some point in life, you're able to give back, and that's what it's all about. That is a big reason of why I was successful, is because of the people that helped me get there and took the time with me, and cared about me.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't be afraid to be brave and courageous. It's okay to have a different opinion when you're in a room. The best leaders are ones that can express how they feel and still be able to align with everybody else. Being able to be courageous, share your opinion, and don't fear what it could or could not do for you, because people really respect a person who has a voice. Use your voice in a positive, professional way. There is nothing to fear.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Within department store retail, especially in beauty and fragrances, there's a big opportunity to modernize the experience, presentation, pricing, and vendor relationships because Alta and Sephora are sweeping up market share. From a luxury perspective, designer handbags have become unobtainable due to pricing, so the luxury market needs to revisit that, perhaps through the apparel piece to continue growing.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
It is critical to always be honest and loyal. Those two qualities go hand-in-hand. If you can't have trust if you don't have those two qualities. At the end of the day, you want to trust the people that you are surrounding yourself with, but how can you do that if there's not that honesty and the comfort in being able to be honest, and the loyalty.
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