Betsy McLaughlin is an American businesswoman who served as the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Hot Topic Hot Topic, Inc. (stylized as HOT TOPIC) is an American retail chain specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming, ...

from 2000 to 2011. She currently serves on consumer boards in the retail and restaurant sectors.

Education

McLaughlin was born in 1960 in Boston, Massachusetts. She attended Estancia High School in Costa Mesa, California before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...

Career

Prior to Hot Topic, McLaughlin worked for Millers Outpost and

The Broadway The Broadway was a mid-level department store chain headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1896 by English-born Arthur Letts Sr., and named after what was once the city's main shopping street, the Broadway became a dominant reta ...

in finance, merchandising, and operations roles. McLaughlin joined Hot Topic as the vice president of operations in 1993 when the company was in its start up stage and had 15 stores. In 1996, prior to the company's IPO (NASDAQ:HOTT), she was promoted to senior vice president of merchandising and marketing. She became president in 1998. In 2000, McLaughlin succeeded Hot Topic founder Orv Madden as CEO of the company and was appointed to the board of directors. In 2001, McLaughlin founded the second

division called Torrid (NYSE:CURV), a plus-size retail chain aimed at young women. During McLaughlin's tenure as CEO, the corporation was included on the ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' list of “200 Hot Companies”, ''Fortune'' “100 Fastest Growing Companies”, ''

Bloomberg Businessweek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...

'''s “Hot Growth Companies”, and ''Fortune'''s “100 Best Companies to Work for”. McLaughlin was selected by ''

Investor's Business Daily ''Investor's Business Daily'' (''IBD'') is an American newspaper and website covering the stock market, international business, finance and economics. Founded in 1984 by William O'Neil as a print news publication, it is owned by News Corp and is ...

'' as one of the “Top 5 Business Leaders of 2003” and "Top 10 CEOs with Vision", by Ad Age as one of the “Marketing 50”, and in 2005, was named by Institutional Investor as one of the “Best CEOs in America”. In 2010, Hot Topic was #1 on Forbes’ list of “Most Trustworthy Retailers” and named by Fast Company as one of the “Most Innovative Companies” in retail. McLaughlin has received a number of awards for her "

think outside the box Thinking outside the box (also thinking out of the box or thinking beyond the box and, especially in Australia, thinking outside the square) is a metaphor that means to think differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective. The phrase al ...

" approach to strategy and leadership, specifically the recruiting and training of a primarily young work force to manage brick and mortar locations. She is also known for developing a growth culture built on exceeding expectations of both customers and team members. In 2011, McLaughlin resigned from Hot Topic. McLaughlin now sits on the boards of BARK (NYSE:BARK), 5.11 Tactical, Everlane, Lazy Dog Restaurants, Dolls Kill, Good American and PetSmart Charities. She also consults on branding, marketing, leadership and organization development for organizations in the consumer sector. Previously, McLaughlin sat on the boards of Noodles (NASDAQ:NDLS), Pinkberry, Kriser's All Natural Pet, Veggie Grill and on the board of visitors and executive committee of the

UCLA Anderson School of Management The John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management, also known as the UCLA Anderson School of Management, is the graduate business school at the University of California, Los Angeles, one of eleven professional schools. The school offers MBA (ful ...

. In 2018, McLaughlin was named “Director of the Year” for early stage/high growth companies by the Forum for Corporate Directors.

References

External links

TorridHot Topic
American chief executives of fashion industry companies Businesspeople from California Living people American women chief executives University of California, Irvine alumni 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen 1962 births 21st-century American women {{US-business-bio-1960s-stub