How does the woman leading a big new business line for one of the US’ largest retail businesses think the industry can achieve better gender diversity?
By keeping opportunities open and getting out of your bubble.
In this video interview with research analyst Joanna O’Connell for Beet.TV, Kristi Argyilan, SVP, Retail Media, Albertsons Companies, opens up on how the industry can welcome more female leaders.
Encouraging more women in the industry
The ratio of women to men in marketing, media, and tech has dropped significantly in recent years, O’Connell said.
Argyilan believes that both women and men in the industry need to work together to keep the doors open for everyone. “I believe that it is just as much on all of us as women to make sure that other women are staying in the industry and that we’re accommodating whatever work-life balance anybody needs, whether it be a man or a woman,” she said.
She also emphasized the need for men to be more conscious of when they’re closing doors and windows for women in the industry, and to ensure they’re welcoming everyone in. “I think that those who control the bulk of the industry should also be mindful of whether or not they’re welcoming everyone in,” she added.
Scaling retail media
Albertsons operates more than 2,200 retail stores, employs 290,000 workers and clocked $75 billion in sales during Q2 of 2022 alone.
The company has announced a plan to merge with Kroger.
Argyilan is leading an effort in which the group is turning its customer touchpoints into media inventory, part of the “retail media” trend.
Albertsons Companies launched Albertsons Media Collective in 2021 and is using “clean room” technology, which allows partners to collaborate using respective audience data sets.
Excitement & Inertia: Albertsons’ Argyilan Wants A ‘Co-Op Garden’ Approach To CTV, Retail Media
Transparency and vulnerability
“I think the most important traits of a leader, especially right now, is transparency and to show vulnerability,” Argyilan says.
She believes it’s easier for women to display these traits due to the way genders have been conditioned since childhood.
But Argyilan also acknowledges the existence of unconscious bias and the need for individuals to step out of their comfort zones.
“I know where my comfort spot is, and I know when I’m in it, but I have to make the conscious decision not to hang in there for too long,” she said.
“I have a responsibility to make sure that I don’t sit in my own bubble, too.”
You’re watching “The Best of the Badass Bosses,” a Beet.TV Leadership Series, presented by Integral Ad Science. This interview was filmed at POSSIBLE 2023 in Miami. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
