Bridgit Lombard

Executive Chair Francesca's

Bridgit Lombard is the Retail Whisperer — the operator PE firms, boards, and sponsors call when things seem impossible.

For nearly two decades she has been at the center of the retail industry's most consequential moments — founding and scaling brands, leading transformations, and stepping in as CEO or Executive Chair when performance, survival, or transition is on the line.

She founded and scaled Nathan Sports and Penguin Brands before selling to private equity — then became the operator PE calls when their portfolio companies need someone who has actually built, run, and rescued a retail business from the inside. She has led Francesca's, Soft Surroundings, and Boston Proper through transformation and delivered outsized returns for firms including Brentwood and Gladstone. Her advisory work spans some of the most recognized names in global retail — Nordstrom, Target, Zara/Inditex, Sainsbury's, and Dick's Sporting Goods among them.

Last ten years: Twelve brands. $30M to over $2B. Forty-plus countries.

Bridgit speaks at the intersection of leadership, volatility, and what actually determines whether a retail business survives disruption or becomes a casualty of it. She contributed to the conversation on Navigating Uncertainty at eTail Palm Springs and has spoken at Davos, ISPO Beijing, the Chief Executive Forum, YPO Global Conference, CNBC, the New York Stock Exchange, and Wharton.

She writes The Expansion Era on Substack — a growing body of work on leadership, congruence, and what it means to build something that lasts.