The 2022 NRF Foundation Honors – presented by American Express and PwC – is the NRF Foundation’s biggest stage for telling the story of how retail builds extraordinary careers. The event on April 13 in New York City included the celebration of The List of People Shaping Retail’s Future honorees:
- Five Below, Inc. President & CEO Joel Anderson
- McDonald's Corporation President & CEO Chris Kempczinski
- Former CVS Health Executive Vice President and Former CVS Pharmacy President Neela Montgomery
- Chewy, Inc. CEO Sumit Singh
- The RealReal Founder and CEO Julie Wainwright
The honorees showcase the wide range of what retail offers, from bringing the pet store to customers’ front doors, to embracing sustainability and extending the life of luxury goods and making healthcare and vaccines available in communities nationwide, along with helping people jumpstart their careers and creating a retail experience for children to buy things with their own money.
The List 2022 was presented onstage by American Express President of U.S. Merchant Services Colleen Taylor and PwC Vice Chair of Consumer Markets Barbra Bukovac. They commended the honorees for sparking innovation and creating opportunities, and reflected on their appreciation for – and personal connections to – the retail industry.
“I learned early on, in my first job at the Original Pancake House in Champaign, Illinois, how important customer service is,” Bukovac says. “I was the first face that customers saw as they walked in the door. I saw how my positive interactions with them made a difference, and that lesson of great customer service has stayed with me, because customer service is what defines retail.”
Retail is an industry where people from all backgrounds are valued – and that’s why Taylor says her coworkers were the best part of her experience working behind the jewelry counter at Macy’s in Atlanta while in college.
“I learned from them, I was inspired by them and we had fun,” Taylor says. “I admire everyone who works in retail for dedicating their careers to building better lives and stronger communities.”
The 2022 NRF Foundation Honors – co-hosted by Macy’s, Inc. Chairman and CEO Jeff Gennette and former Qurate Retail, Inc. President and CEO Mike George – drew more than 600 attendees to the Marriott Marquis Times Square and raised $3.22 million for the NRF Foundation’s programs and resources.
Throughout the fall, the NRF Foundation featured the honorees on The List of People Shaping Retail’s Future in “20 Questions” interviews that highlighted how they each built exciting careers in retail. View those conversations on demand now and learn more about The List here.