Laura J. Alber

Biography

Alber earned a B.A. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.[3][4] While attending Penn, Alber had a small business selling velvet floppy hats.[5] She said she got the idea after observing the floppy hat trend while a student at the University of Edinburgh.[3] As a student, she took a wide range of classes, which she has said later served her well as a business executive. After graduation from Penn, Alber drove to California with no plan and took a series of odd jobs until taking an entry level job at Gap Inc. She joined Williams-Sonoma in 1995 as a senior buyer in the Pottery Barn subsidiary brand.[6] Alber was promoted several times. She has said that her most important job, prior to becoming CEO of Williams-Sonoma, was serving as director of the Pottery Barn catalog, giving her the opportunity to “own” a business line from start to finish.[7] She later became president of Pottery Barn, serving in that capacity from 2002 to 2006.[4] Alber moved to the newly created role of president of Williams-Sonoma in 2006, where she continued her lead of Pottery Barn and the company's global supply chain, distribution, and worldwide logistics.[6][8] In 2010, she was elected to the company's board and named as CEO, replacing retiring W. Howard Lester.[9] At that time, she was the 10th highest paid woman in U.S. business, with an estimated compensation of $13,555,412.[10] She has said she enjoys the intellectual challenge of understanding the changing trends and global influences on the home.[3] After being pregnant with her first daughter, Alber said she was inspired to create Pottery Barn Kids, providing home furnishings for children's spaces.[3] Alber also led the creation of the Pottery Barn Bed+Bath, PBteen, and Threads brands.[6] In 2011, the San Francisco Business Times named her one of the most influential women in San Francisco.[11] Under Alber's leadership, Williams-Sonoma became one of the largest U.S. e-tailers, selling about half of its $5 billion annual sales online in 2014.[12] During her tenure, Williams-Sonoma launched its first app - "Recipe of the Day" - and partnered with YouTube to offer shoppable online videos. Alber has also promoted in-store events at Williams-Sonoma, including book signings and panini-making classes.[12] In 2014 and 2015, Fortune (magazine) named Alber a "Business Person of the Year."[12][13] In 2014, Alber wrote a Harvard Business Review article, advocating for blending art and science in business by informing creative ideas with analytics.

Research Interest

Business