Liz Rodbell knows a thing or two about department stores — she’s been in the business for over three decades.
Last November, Rodbell surprised the industry by returning to HBC, as president and chief executive officer of the Hudson’s Bay division in Canada. She was working as a consultant, as founder of LHR Advisors, and before that she served as Steve Madden’s group president of retail, accessories, licensing and direct-to-consumer for four years.
Prior to joining Madden, she ran the former Lord & Taylor as president when it was owned by HBC. She simultaneously served as president of Hudson’s Bay, and before that as executive vice president and chief merchant of both retail businesses.
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Rodbell is among the only four women to have led Lord & Taylor since it was founded in 1826 as the nation’s first department store. The others were Dorothy Shaver, from 1945 to 1959; Jane Elfers, 2000 to 2008, and Vanessa LeFebvre, who succeeded Rodbell.
Rodbell built a successful career at Lord & Taylor where she worked for 32 years, starting as a dress buyer. Rodbell presided over L&T during downtrends, management integrations and streamlinings, but she grew L&T’s e-commerce business, including putting a Lord & Taylor store on Walmart.com and implementing some omnichannel services like buy online, pick up in-store, staging events tied to social media and targeting millennials to offset L&T’s reputation as being “grandma’s” store.
“I’ve been fortunate to experience some big wins in my career. However, I am immensely passionate about helping women realize their potential, and I am proud of that,” Rodbell said. “Extraordinary success comes when women support women.”
Regarding her current assignment, Rodbell said, “Hudson’s Bay has incredible brand awareness and affinity in Canada. We believe people should surround themselves with things they love, and our mission is to help customers enrich every moment of their life and style.”
A version of this article appeared in the June 3 print issue of FN, as part of the “Women Who Rock” special section. On June 5, FN and Two Ten Footwear Foundation honored these women at a live event in New York City.
