indica News Bureau-
Not only Indian-origin men but women too are making their presence known as CEOs of large American companies
One such name after Indra Nooyi is Sonia Syngal, who will soon be serving as the first Indian-origin CEO of one of the largest apparel retailers, GAP Inc., in the US.
The company’s board of directors announced her appointment March 5, calling Syngal, CEO of the portfolio’s Old Navy business since 2016, an accomplished retail leader.
Syngal takes her new position effective March 23. She will also join the Gap Inc.’s board of directors. As Gap Inc.’s new CEO, Syngal’s top priority will be strengthening the performance of the portfolio.
Prior to joining Gap Inc., Syngal had a long career in Fortune 500 product companies, including Sun Microsystems where she led manufacturing operations, logistics and supply chain management; and at Ford Motor Co., where she held roles in product design, quality and manufacturing engineering.
Indian-born Syngal, 49, earned a bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering at Kettering University and a master’s in Manufacturing Systems Engineering at Stanford University.
Since joining Gap Inc. in 2004, she has served in key leadership and general management roles including managing director for the company’s Europe business, senior vice president for Gap Inc.’s International division and International Outlet division.
Syngal led Old Navy from $7B to $8B in sales in three years, expanding its North American presence to more than 1,200 stores in the US, Canada and Mexico, scaling its ecommerce site to the No. 4 largest apparel site in the US and building competitive omni-channel capabilities.
Prior to that, she was executive vice president of Global Supply Chain and Product Operations, responsible for managing Gap Inc.’s global supply chain and redefining a best-in-class product-to-market model for its portfolio of brands.
“It’s an honor to build on this company’s rich heritage and lead our nearly 130,000 employees in transforming our business and operations to successfully compete in the future,” said Sonia through the press release. “I’m committed to fully realizing the potential of our portfolio and the advantage of our scale, with a focus on strengthening the love that our millions of customers have for our brands. To do that, we must better prioritize initiatives and capabilities that will improve execution and drive value creation.”
She is a member of the Boys & Girls Club of America’s board of governors and serves on The Gap Foundation board of trustees.
“To lead the company into its next chapter, we sought a dynamic leader who could bring a deep respect for our customers and make the decisions necessary to deliver value from our portfolio of brands over the long term,” said Bob Fisher, interim Gap Inc. CEO in the press release. “Sonia has all of the characteristics and experiences needed to effectively execute against the work ahead. She is an excellent operator who drives innovation and decisive action, and she leads with both vision and heart.”