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victoriasecret
Victoria's Secret CEO Wharton Leadership Conference Credit: Sara Cerreta , Sara Cerreta

Christmas music blasted in the background as scantily dressed models posed in the snow. The commercial cut to its final shot: "All I want for Christmas is Victoria's Secret." 

President and CEO of Victoria's Secret Sharen Turney  gave Penn students this sneak preview of the upcoming holiday season's advertisement, never before shown outside the company. Turney made her way to Penn as part of Wharton’s Leadership Lecture Series to discuss the qualities that make a successful leader and brand. She spoke to a hundred-person audience in Huntsman Hall on Tuesday, describing her personal journey from growing up on a farm in Oklahoma  to assuming the CEO mantle of a $6.7  billion global lingerie brand in 2006.

Turney described how Victoria’s Secret aims to connect to its customers on an emotional level. While she stated that the brand cultivates a sexy and sophisticated aesthetic to appeal to women, Turney asked the question: “What does it mean to be sexy? Is it glamorous and romantic or is it provocative or just simply sexy?"

"You have to think about different emotional spaces and bring each one to life within the store," she added.

As CEO, Turney emphasized being inspirational rather than commanding to her staff. She encouraged Penn's aspiring leaders to display authenticity and passion through action rather than words.

When it comes to her personal life, Turney explained the value of embracing new opportunities. While attending the University of Oklahoma, she was encouraged by her professor to pursue her interests in retail, despite her own concerns about her lack of experience. But once she got started, she never looked back.

Later, after building a successful career at the retailer Neiman Marcus  , Turney was asked to take charge of the job no one at the company seemed to want: building their online catalog. “I was almost in tears,” she stated in her speech. “I wondered if I had been demoted.”

In retrospect, she realized that taking on the job opened up incredible opportunities. “It was the best job I never knew I wanted,” she said.

Above all, Turney cited passion and purpose as the driving forces in her life. “Passion  … gives me the opportunity to wake up every morning and feel great about what I’m doing,” she said, adding that purpose “tells you where to channel that energy.”

For her, a major priority is giving back to the community. Under her leadership, Victoria’s Secret has organized ventures in Sri Lanka and India to provide economic opportunities for women and children, and hosts events within the United States to raise money for cancer research.

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