Sephora veteran Mary Beth Laughton has joined Gap Inc. as President and Chief Executive Officer of its Athleta brand. She will report to Gap Inc.’s CEO, Art Peck. Her move begins in late October.

Most recently Mary Beth served as EVP Omni Retail at SEPHORA, where she led the specialty store chain’s ecommerce and physical store channels. During her career at Sephora, she oversaw areas including digital marketing and merchandising, store operations and field, CRM/analytics, omnichannel experience and digital innovation. Additionally, during her tenure, Mary Beth increased the company’s online business five times, and improved store performance through a focus on innovative customer experiences coupled with operational rigor.

“Mary Beth brings a strong background in digital operations, a keen understanding of customers and an ability to deliver innovative experiences,” said Art. “She is the right leader for Athleta, with a proven track record in driving consistent results in multiple growth markets, including performance apparel and beauty.”

Prior to Sephora, Mary Beth spent nine years at Nike, in a variety of roles including General Manager of e-commerce for Europe and the Director of e-commerce for Nike subsidiaries, including Cole Haan, Converse and Hurley. She has been a board member of REI since 2017.

Mary Beth began her career at McKinsey & Company, focusing on the retail and digital sectors. She graduated from Harvard Business School with a Master of Business Administration and received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from Indiana University.