Grace Nichols, president and CEO of Victoria's Secret Stores, will present "Victoria's Secret Stores: The Modern Business Behind the Cultural Icon" at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 7 in the Sue Ann Genet Auditorium, Room 108 of Syracuse University's Slocum Hall. The lecture, part of the Genet Lecture Series sponsored by the College of Visual and Performing Arts, is free and open to the public.
Founded during the 1970s, Victoria's Secret is among the most prominent lingerie brands in the world. The company's assets include more than 900 lingerie and 500 beauty stores nationwide, an internationally recognized catalogue and one of the most visited and profitable e-commerce Web sites. The company's sales grew to $3.3 billion in 2000, and it is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the Intimate Brands (IBI) name where its stocks are traded alongside of its powerful sister brand Bath and Body Works.
Named president and CEO of the company in 1991, Nichols has been a member of the Board of Directors of Intimate Brands since its inception. Under Nichols' leadership, Victoria's Secret has become the dominant lingerie specialty retailer in the United States, holding a 15 percent market share of the $12 billion domestic lingerie market.
Nichols joined Victoria's Secret Stores in 1986 as vice president, general merchandise manager. She was promoted in 1988 to executive vice president before moving to her current position. She holds both a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in history from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
The Sue Ann Genet Lecture Series is offered by SU's College of Visual and Performing Arts in conjunction with the Genet Gallery for costume, textiles and decorative arts. The series brings prominent speakers to the University from retailing, fashion and design.
