Laura Alber

Pregnancy gave her the best business idea of her career.

In college, Laura Alber started her first business selling velvet floppy hats, inspired by a trend she spotted while studying in Scotland.

After graduating with a psychology degree, she drove to California with no job, no connections, and no plan.

She landed an entry-level job at Gap Inc. before joining Williams-Sonoma as a senior buyer in 1995.

Over the next 15 years, she climbed the ranks, leading Pottery Barn and launching PBteen.

But it was during her first pregnancy that she had her breakthrough idea: Pottery Barn Kids.

Realizing the market lacked stylish, functional home furnishings for children, she pitched the concept to Williams-Sonoma’s leadership.

The response? A full-scale launch.

Pottery Barn Kids went on to become one of the company’s biggest successes.

By 2010, Alber became CEO of Williams-Sonoma at just 40 years old.

Her biggest bet? Going all-in on e-commerce before the rest of the industry caught on.

Under her leadership, Williams-Sonoma became one of the largest digital-first home retailers, with 70% of its direct-to-consumer business happening online.

She also introduced mobile shopping, partnered with YouTube for shoppable videos, and launched the company’s first app.

But her defining moment came during the pandemic.

While other companies laid off employees to cut costs, Alber made a different choice.

“I had my finance team project a year with zero revenue,” she said. “It was terrifying. But I knew one thing: we weren’t going to abandon our people.”

Her gamble paid off.

Williams-Sonoma’s revenue surged 300% post-2020, proving that betting on employees wasn’t just good ethics… it was smart business.

Today, Alber is the longest-serving female CEO of a company of Williams-Sonoma’s size.

She serves on the boards of Salesforce and the University of Pennsylvania.

And she continues to push the company forward with a digital-first, customer-obsessed strategy.