Old Navy
December 9, 2022
At Old Navy, we live out a performance culture – one that’s inspired by the extraordinary talent across our teams, the values that guide us, and the collaborative, creative and transformative ways we work. Each year, we celebrate and recognize achievements with the annual Old Navy Magic Awards – a ceremony that highlights teams and individuals through award categories tied to Gap Inc’s Words to Live By (the foundation of our workplace culture and ultimately the guiding principles for how we operate that allow everyone to deliver their best work and drive our business forward).
The Magic Awards show that everyone can make a difference and that it’s up to each of us to create a future we can be proud of. We encourage accountability for building Old Navy’s culture, business, and believe that our jobs should inspire a sense of pride not just because of what we do at work, but also how we get the job done.
This year’s winners exemplify making magic at work – read on to get a peek at what they’ve achieved in 2022.
Adrienne Baker (Inventory Management) received the Stop. Simplify. Solve Award, which recognizes those helping us to build an agile, efficient and high-performance culture. Adrienne was an important contributor to Old Navy’s inventory strategy this year, driving forecasts and requirements for inventory optimization. In addition, she was one of the first people to identify the opportunity for localization and sizing capabilities that will contribute to the future growth and health of the bottom line.
Yasmin Zialcita (Merchandising) also received the Stop. Simplify. Solve Award. She is an all-around problem solver and reliable resource for both the Merchandising Team as well as a broad range of cross-functional partners who rely on her expertise to evolve processes, and ensure that questions are answered, breakdowns are remedied and that things are running smoothly.
Kyle Albers (Field) received the Build Extraordinary Talent Award, which recognizes the game-changers, the culture-makers and those who attract the best talent and ignite performance to win – both individually and as a collective. His work in the field with our San Francisco District stores has ensured that teams felt both supported and valued. He’s described as a “talent developer” and a “culture maker,” enabling and equipping his peers through every step with coaching and encouragement.
Ryan Mattson (Online) received the Speak with Candor Award, which recognizes the ability to clearly and directly communicate expectations, feedback and results while listening to learn – recognizing that this combination both will unlock personal and business growth. Ryan has a customer-first mindset and is constantly thinking about customer experiences with shopping online. He questions when things don't make sense or when something may cause extra work for the team, which has helped build more efficient processes and saved hours of work for many individual contributors.
Maximilliano Magana (Field Visual) received the Do the Right Thing Award which recognizes those that commit to doing more good for our company, our teams, society and the planet – with the utmost integrity. Maximilliano is one of Old Navy’s Visual Merchandising Team members that creates a unique and fun Old Navy experience in each one of our stores. On top of his day job, he raises our commitment to inclusivity and belonging by co-chairing HOLA, the LatinX Employee Business Resource Group at Gap Inc.
Lauren Walker (Design) received the Create with Audacity Award, which recognizes those who lean into our risk-taking history to lead boldly, defy convention, and unleash untapped potential. Lauren drove the vision for Spring and Summer 2023 Old Navy Swim designs that pushed the envelope on both trend and fashion while meeting customer expectations for democratic fits and value price points. Lauren demonstrates a clear understanding of the importance of making decisions with the customer in mind.
Maddie Ayers (Production) received the Own It. Do It. Done. Award, which recognizes those who don't sit on the sidelines – because if you're 5% responsible, you're 100% accountable and empowered to see things through to the end. Maddie’s passion and dedication for supporting new launches and her help in implementing new processes, ideas and changes across Old Navy Product Development teams exemplify accountability and getting the job done. Her investigative and solution-oriented efforts ultimately spearheaded cost-savings for multiple projects. Maddie’s perseverance and positive attitude from start to finish in everything she takes on inspire empowerment across Old Navy.
Meghan Ownbey (Marketing) received the Try Fast. Learn Fast. Think Big. Award, which recognizes those who are a problem-solver, not a problem-spotter, and who drive toward solutions with speed, conviction, and a blue-sky mentality. Meghan is a champion of the commercial plan for Old Navy. She navigates an ever-changing process while building strong trust with her business partners and pushing teammates to think differently. She ensures teams have a deep understanding of business intent while championing the strongest messages for our customers – both of which help drive business.
Dava Huber (Marketing) received the Champion Inclusion Award, which recognizes those who enable environments where everyone feels safe and seen and are an instrument of change, open to all people, ideas and ways of working. Dava bridged multiple internal teams and external partners to catapult Old Navy’s beloved Magic the Dog into web3 fame, helping to launch the brand’s first NFTs in an accessible way for our customers. She also helped bring the Rockettes to the masses through a live event in partnership with Old Navy (and Jingle Jammies!) - enabling customers to experience the beloved holiday tradition without stepping foot in Radio City Music Hall.
Steven Nascimento (Design) received the Imagine Mission Award, which recognizes those who exemplify belief in a better future for future generations, create a place where everyone feels like they belong, and where all the clothes are made with love for each other and the planet. Steven created a quarterly, employee-led volunteer program called “Equalunteer” that fostered more feasible and accessible ways to participate in “kind acts” as an Old Navy employee (whether in-person or virtually). Steven’s ingenuity and care enabled 100% participation in Equalunteer for multiple quarters and modeled what giving back looks like for Old Navy employees.
Desiree Malhaldo (Merchandising) received the Be Customer Curious Award, which recognizes those who put the customer at the forefront of every idea, decision, and interaction, with empathy for their experiences. Whenever there is a problem to be solved, Desiree starts with the customer and builds out data and a story to drive change for decisions. One of Desiree’s ideas was the catalyst for the re-launch of a product that ended up being one of the biggest programs for Old Navy in 2022!
Sim Huynh Gueco (Online) received the Democracy of Style & Service Award, which recognizes those who stand for the democracy of style - making fashion that's accessible to all, with product for everybody. Sim stepped into a recently created Site Merchandising organization and courageously built out entirely new reporting suites, processes and relationships. She was the lead site merchant for Old Navy’s denim fit experience, helping build the newly launched denim fit comparison tool on OldNavy.com.
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