2026 NRF The Visionary Abercrombie & Fitch Co. CEO Fran Horowitz
The NRF Foundation provides the training, scholarships and connections that turn retail jobs into retail careers. The NRF Foundation Honors celebrates retail professionals – including the honorees featured here - and builds talent pipelines, develops future leaders and strengthens the industry through workforce development, career connection and scholarship support.
Invest in retail’s future by supporting the work of the NRF Foundation.
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The Visionary is the most coveted award in retail. For more than 100 years, the National Retail Federation has honored an individual who has served the industry with distinction throughout their career.
A dynamic group of retail leaders creating opportunities and sparking innovation.
Top, left to right: Kim Gallagher (Nuuly,
Executive Director of Marketing and Customer Success), John C Jay (Fast Retailing, President of Global Creative) and Amiee Bayer-Thomas (Ulta Beauty, Chief Retail Officer).
Bottom, left to right: Steve Peters (Old Navy, Senior Vice President and Head of Stores and Operations), Emilie Arel (Mitchell & Ness, President), Sandeep Seth (Tapestry, Chief Growth Officer and Tapestry International, President), and Fiona Tan (Wayfair, Chief Technology Officer).
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The highest honor that the NRF Foundation can bestow upon a student features a top award of $25,000 and recognition as an emerging leader in retail. Here are the 2027 finalists!
Top, left to right: Mia Hamilton (Drexel University) and Luke Gallagher (University of Notre Dame).
Bottom, left to right: Katherine Kohtala (Lasell University), Polyxeni Politis (Boston University) and Hiromichi Suzuki (University of North Texas).
The top recipient will be announced at NRF Foundation Honors in January 2027.
In its second year, the NRF Foundation Store Leader Spotlight recognizes the contributions and shares the stories of store leaders who exemplify your brand values, develop your teams, invest in your communities and drive success.
In 2027, we shined the spotlight on five amazing store leaders who lead by example and deliver results.
Top row: Savannah Clark (Tractor Supply Company) and Juan Pinillos (Walmart)
Bottom row: Ebony Davis (Pandora Jewelry), Elivette Sanabria (Burlington Stores) and James Wallace (Brown's ShopRite).
Meet five amazing store leaders who lead by example and deliver results
Coming This Fall - NRF Foundation Training Partner Of The Year 2027
Presented by Old Navy
Each year, the NRF Foundation honors a partner who exemplifies an extraordinary collaboration with the use of RISE Up training and credentialing to prepare students to begin a career in retail. Our 2026 Partner of the Year, presented by Old Navy, is The Door, located in NYC.
Meet 'The Door' — this year's NRF Foundation RISE UP Partner of the Year
Coming This Fall - NRF Foundation University Retail Challenge 2027 Top Teams
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The team business competition provides undergraduates with real-world experience and $30,000 for the top team.
Top row: Team from Columbia College Chicago
Bottom row: Team from The University of Texas at Austin and University of North Texas.
Meet the top teams in the 2026 NRF Foundation University Challenge Scholarship
For press inquiries, please contact press@nrf.com
