b"GINA DROSOSCulturally, it felt like there was an opportunity to really draw outWith data in tow, Drosos worked with her leadership team to form leadership at every level of the organization to encourage diversethe Path to Brilliance turnaround plan, announced in March 2018.thinking, action, and leadership more from the bottom up of theThe goal was to improve long-term operational and financial per-company as opposed to from the top down, she says. formance internally, but Signets external reputation Within the first six months, Drosos was visiting stores inalso was in need of repair.the United States, United Kingdom, andPrior to Drosos time as CEO, Signets image Canada, speaking with store employeeshad taken a hit following years of ongoing arbi-and holding meetings with manager- andtration over claims of gender discrimination director-level employees. that fueled a bombshell 2017 report by The People who are on the front line, theyWashington Post, a widely publicized scan-can tell whats working and not working.dal involving allegations of stone-swapping Empowering them to bring that forward isat Kay Jewelers, and a class-action lawsuit something we started at that time, [and]filed by shareholders in 2016.its very much part of our culture at Signet(The company reached a $240 million settle-today, she says. ment in the shareholder lawsuit in 2020, and a Drosos wanted to know if her employ- $175 million settlement in the gender discrimina-ees agreed with her vision and what theytion case in 2022.)thought should be top priority. There was a lot to tackle, but Drosos had a It was amazing how people really camestrong team behind her.forward with great ideas. I could see thatGina is a very good partner and a very we needed to give more decision-makingempowering leader. She has a unique power to our store leaders, she says. ability to bring out the best in her After speaking with her employees,team, says Singleton.she came to understand which areasOne of the leadership traits that called for more investment and where thehas made her so beloved and so company could save money to fund thosesuccessful is the lack of ego, the lack of investments. A selection of colored gemstone engagement concern around whose ideas get imple-I think too often, people have an idearings from bridal designer Monique Lhuillier's mented, who gets credit, who brings the in their head, and theyre looking for data to sup- collection at Kay Jewelers insight to the table. Its really a collaborative, produc-port their hypothesis. Thats really the oppositetive, and innovation-driven style for leading a team.of what I was doing. I was trying to frame the question very broadlySingleton notes Drosos still visits the stores, particularly when shes so that I could see whether there were themes emerging from differ- having a difficult day, to spend time with customers and the team.ent parts of the organization. Thats [what] feeds her spirit. That passion, that legacy, thats the hallmark of a special leader.Kay Jewelers is Signets largestDATA REIGNS SUPREMEbanner in terms of sales.Teamwork is crucial but Drosos secret weapon is data. As in previous roles, data analysis is key to her decision-making process and, at Sig-net, analytics have been especially helpful in understanding the bridal market.The company has identified and tracked a proprietary list of 45 milestones that trace a couples journey through four major relationship stages: leading, exclusivity, committed, and engagement.According to Signet, once couples expe-rience at least 27 of these milestones, like traveling together, it is probable they will get engaged.Data also has guided Signets prediction that engagements, lulled by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, would pick up Continued on page 4442 RETAILER HALL OF FAME 2024"