Executive Assistant - Athleta

Ron Hunt departs Mattel to take on Senior Director - Digital Workplace position at 'iconic' Gap Inc. Ron Hunt has joined Gap Inc. as Senior Director - Digital Workplace at Gap Inc. In a LinkedIn post, Hunt, whose CV includes stints at Universal Music Group and The Walt Disney Company, said: "First off, how cool is it to be working for another iconic company? And I have to say, the Gap office on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood is a pretty amazing place to call my new work home. Not a bad way to start a new adventure!" He added: "And one of the nice surprises has been seeing a few familiar faces along the way. It's always great to reconnect with people you've worked with before, and it makes starting somewhere new feel a little more like home." "I'm incredibly grateful to the leadership team at Gap for the confidence they've placed in me and for giving me the opportunity to be part of their journey. I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead, building new relationships, learning from some incredibly talented people, and hopefully making a meaningful difference along the way." "As I start this new chapter, I can't help but reflect on how fortunate I've been throughout my career. I've had the privilege of working for some truly amazing companies, including Disney, Amgen, Universal Music Group, Mattel, and now Gap Inc. Each one has given me opportunities to grow, challenged me in different ways, and introduced me to wonderful people who have helped shape the person and leader I am today. That's something I will never take for granted. I truly feel blessed to have had these experiences, and I'm excited to see what this next chapter brings. Here's to new challenges, new friendships, a little hard work, hopefully a lot of laughs, and making a difference along the way!" 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards The awards, which celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world, have now closed for entries. Its winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November. Retailtechinnovationhub received a record number of entries this year and many fantastic examples of technology excellence driving transformative change across the global retail sector. Congratulations to all those who made it through the initial submission process! It's now over to its star studded judging panel who will decide the winners to be announced at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London. The event will be held on Wednesday, 4th November and consist of a drinks reception, three course meal, awards ceremony presided over by award winning stand-up comedian, presenter, actor and broadcaster, Aurie Styla, and after party until 1am.

Gap Beauty launches first gourmand fragrance Bliss. By Claudia Ruiz 15 October 2026 Gap Beauty is expanding its fragrance lineup with Bliss, its first gourmand scent, as part of a strategic push following John Demsey's departure. The limited-edition holiday fragrance features butterscotch, cocoa bean, and vanilla bourbon notes, developed by Dsm-Firmenich perfumer Honorine Blanc alongside Nicole Mancini, who created the brand's initial collection. This new addition marks a significant step in the company's efforts to diversify its fragrance offerings and strengthen its presence in the competitive fragrance market. Gourmand notes and strategic positioning. Bliss launches with an eau de parfum available in 50ml and 10ml travel sizes. It also includes matching hand cream and body lotion, marking Gap Beauty's entry into body care. Prices range from $15 to $52. Head of beauty Deb Redmond compared the fragrance to Gap's CashSoft fabric, a key driver for the apparel brand, emphasizing how the scent's emotional resonance aligns with the company's core values. "When we introduced our fragrance collection this summer, it was about establishing what Gap Beauty is today," Redmond said. "Holiday is about how Gap Beauty fits into people's gifting routines." The campaign features "White Lotus" star Brittany O'Grady, with promotions starting October 20. O'Grady is also slated to appear in "Jumanji: Open World," the latest installment of the "Jumanji" franchise set for release in December. It also includes gift sets and exclusive loyalty program offerings designed to enhance customer engagement during the festive season. Executive departure and industry context. The Bliss launch follows John Demsey's departure, a former Estée Lauder executive who joined Gap Inc. in 2025. Demsey left after sharing a racially charged meme to his Instagram account. Gap declined to comment on Demsey's departure when speaking. While nostalgia-driven scents like Grass and Dream drove initial interest, Bliss positions Gap to compete with contemporary gourmand hits from Kayali and Phlur. Beauty remains a fast-growing sector, with mass fragrance leading U.S. dollar sales growth in the first half of 2026 at 15%, according to Circana's report. Gap Inc. reported a 9% net sales increase to $844 million for its namesake brand in Q2 2026, though the full impact of its July 30 launch has not yet reflected in earnings as of the most recent quarterly report. The move aligns with broader trends, as brands like Axe and Bath & Body Works revive '90s and early 2000s scents. Redmond emphasized that emotional connection, not nostalgia alone, drives longevity. "Whether that's in apparel or in fragrance, I think that's the part that continues to have the longevity and the attachment, more so than nostalgia for nostalgia's sake." Beauty, particularly fragrance, remains a fast-growing category in consumer goods.

John Demsey parts ways with Gap Inc. amid beauty category revamp. The departure comes as Gap Inc. refines its beauty and accessories strategy amid a competitive backdrop. October 13, 2026, 2:40pm Updated 2:57 p.m. ET on Oct. 13 John Demsey and Gap have parted company, sources told WWD. A spokeswoman for Gap Inc. confirmed the departure in a statement to WWD. "John brought tremendous beauty expertise, creative vision and brand-building experience to Gap Inc., helping shape our beauty strategy and define the opportunity across our portfolio," the statement said. "As we enter the next phase of growth and execution, we remain focused on building on this strong foundation and advancing our beauty strategy. We are grateful for John's partnership and many contributions and wish him continued success." Demsey declined to comment. Gap Inc. tapped Demsey, a longtime Estée Lauder Cos. executive, in 2025 as executive director of beauty, as it sought to reenter the category. At the same time, it also hired Reed Krakoff as executive director of accessories. "With the support of best-in-class industry leaders and their unparalleled expertise to guide and advise our beauty and accessories businesses, we're well poised to not only expand our product offerings but establish these categories as promising growth engines for our portfolio," said Gap Inc. president and chief executive officer Richard Dickson at the time. "I couldn't be more excited about the journey ahead and the exceptional talent who will help guide the way." Beauty was first out of the gate. Last October, Old Navy, the largest division in Gap Inc., unveiled its beauty pilot plans, consisting of an in-house-developed body care collection alongside an assortment of about 40 outside brands curated by BeautySpace. In August, it fine-tuned the strategy, doubling down on the number of doors for the third-party brands, which include E.l.f. Cosmetics, Neutrogena, Touchland, Patchology, Tree Hut and TonyMoly, and relaunching the bath and body line with upgraded packaging and product. Meanwhile, Gap Beauty introduced fragrance in July with five scents - Dream, Grass, Om, Harmony and Heaven - as a nostalgic play on its original collection, which debuted in 1994. In September, Gap introduced Krakoff's debut handbag collection, which sources said has had a strong response at retail. Gap Inc. is part of a crowded market of apparel retailers in the mid- and lower-tier ranges that have been diving into beauty at a steady clip over the past few years, including H&M, Primark, Zara, Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie. These have played out to varying degrees of success. Zara is understood to have had success with its private-label business, especially in fragrance. H&M has opened a handful of stand-alone beauty stores in Scandinavia, which now skew more heavily to third-party brands. Urban Outfitters, meanwhile, shuttered its private-label brand Ohii, and has had more success bringing in third-party brands. Asked about Gap Inc.'s expansion into beauty and accessories at a Goldman Sachs conference on Sept. 14, Dickson said: "We brought in experts from those industries acknowledging we need experts to surround us, to actually execute with excellence to the extent that the authenticity that we need to have to win in these categories is there with the talent and the interpretation of what is the Gap Fragrance, what is Gap Accessories? How do our brands translate to consumers with a meaningful distinctive point of difference?" He added that beauty is an incredibly resilient category. "It's one of the biggest and fastest and most successful categories in the U.S. It's the highest actually growth category in our checkout lanes. And so as we study what works in our checkout lanes in Old Navy, beauty is the number-one category. So offer more choice, offer more depth, offer more assortment and ultimately will win the consumer." Newsletters