COREY KAM
San Francisco
Summary
Accomplished and results-oriented professional with extensive global retail experience in specialty, big-box apparel, and beauty sectors. Recognized for strategic leadership and a compassionate approach to developing effective people strategies, talent management initiatives, and succession planning. Proven track record in building strong collaborative teams that foster employee-centric cultures, significantly enhancing morale, productivity, and overall engagement to drive organizational stability and success.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
District Manager
Ulta Beauty
03.2022 - Current
- Lead a team of 70 Managers and 400+ retail associates and salon professional across 11 locations with $82M in annual sales. Achieved +5.7% overall comp growth in 2025 by executing district-level strategies.
- Reduced shrink in 2025 by over $1.5M through increased focus on operational excellence across all areas of the store, education with store leaders and weekly validation through reporting.
- Developed District talent strategy to drive retention, succession planning, and protecting overall culture. Achieved 100% engagement with annual culture survey and +9 point improvement from previous year.
- Lowest annualized turnover (all roles) in the Region for 2023 (+28% improvement) and 2024 (+27% improvement).
- Partnered with talent acquisition to develop external networking bench to close open positions. 2025 YTD average was 32 days to fill vs Company goal of 45 days.
District Manager
Forever 21 (SPARC Group)
03.2021 - 03.2022
- Managed a $60M district with 11 locations, across the South Bay and Central California.
- Drove a +20% comp increase in 2021 through in-season management, reacting to sell through by providing clear visual solutions and to KPI performance addressing each store’s unique strengths and challenges.
- Collaborated with Store Operations and streamlined operations by establishing efficient shipment processes and backroom efficiencies, leading to reduced payroll costs and boosting associate productivity.
- Developed New Hire training program focused on brand expectations that increased employee engagement and reduced turnover rates.
Sr Manager - Merchandising Operations
Sephora - LVMH
04.2019 - 07.2020
- Led cross-functional teams to implement strategic initiatives that enhanced the store experience and drive operational efficiency.
- Developed and executed comprehensive project plans to align with organizational goals and priorities including all visual merchandising communication and execution materials for the field. Gate keeper of all visual communication to the field.
- Collaborated with stakeholders in the field to streamline communication channels, ensuring alignment across departments at the home office.
- Worked with merchants in the planning process to develop seasonal merchandising strategies, assess brand placement and space optimization in stores to achieve sales plan and meet brand objectives.
- Strengthened store experiences by resolving global issues in real time by collaborating with cross functional partners. Worked with inventory planning to meet product launch availability needs, anticipate store execution challenges and develop creative solutions.
Project Manager - Merchandise Presentation
Burlington Stores
01.2018 - 04.2019
- Led the end to end project management of all capital related store projects, roll outs, remodels and new store openings from initial planning to grand opening.
- Reviewed store’s data to identify visual merchandising and operational gaps. Formulated action plans and developed focused merchandising direction to maximize sales and space productivity.
- Optimized space opportunities, store flow, inventory management, fixture and marketing needs for remodels and new store openings.
- Voice of the field to the corporate office. Communicated with field leaders and corporate cross functional stakeholders on stores progress and addressing issues with construction progress or delays.
- Mentored new and under performing priority stores in between projects to evaluate opportunities and coach store managers on merchandise presentation to maximize space productivity and drive store performance.
Regional Visual Manager
Gap Inc. - Global Franchise & Strategic Alliances
12.2016 - 09.2017
- Led and managed the execution of all visual merchandising and marketing strategies across all Franchise stores for Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy in Latin America and Mexico supporting five partners, six countries.
- Grew retail comp for the region to +23% in Q2-2017 by defining visual strategy and developing market specific plans based on market trends, customer data, promotions, and inventory management.
- Lead representative for Banana Republic US and Franchise Team partnering cross-functionally with key ‘internal’ stakeholders to develop seasonal strategy with product assortment and visual merchandising presentation for all Franchise markets.
- Developed strategic merchandising initiatives for Old Navy Franchise by collaborating with internal stakeholders to align on seasonal strategy, determine key buys, drive alignment and ensure brand consistency in all Franchise markets.
- Managed seasonal visual / promotional calendar for each Franchise partner to ensure consistent and well executed product campaigns to drive sales and manage inventory sell through.
Franchise Visual Manager - International
Gap Inc. - Old Navy
06.2014 - 12.2016
- Led the planning and execution of Old Navy’s international retail expansion across Asia and the Middle East supporting eight countries, six Franchise partners.
- Partnered weekly with Director of Retail and Franchise partners to analyze performance, review successes / opportunities, market trends, promotional calendar, inventory levels and developed action plans to improve performance and drive sales.
- Defined seasonal merchandising strategy for Old Navy Franchise working with cross functional teams to determine key buys and drive alignment to ensure seamless execution of retail initiatives to drive financial performance in all Franchise markets.
- Worked with Store Design on all new store openings. Completed detailed store maps of fixture assortment, visual display package, department breakdown and marketing placement for all stores. openings.
- Responsible for new store openings, overseeing cross-functional coordination with Franchise partners to support onboarding by being the on-site representative two weeks prior to store launch to post grand opening.
- Established the Franchise New Store Opening processes, developed tools, training plans and best practices to drive operational efficiency.
Regional Visual Manager
Gap Inc. - Old Navy
01.2012 - 01.2014
Education
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, HawaiiHigh School Diploma -
Mid Pacific Institute
Honolulu, HawaiiSkills
- Talent Management
- Strategic Planning
- Team Development
- Retention Strategies
- Employee Relations
- Problem Solving
- Commercial Awareness
- Cultural Awareness
- Performance Management
- Conflict Resolution
Timeline
District Manager
Ulta Beauty
03.2022 - Current
District Manager
Forever 21 (SPARC Group)
03.2021 - 03.2022
Sr Manager - Merchandising Operations
Sephora - LVMH
04.2019 - 07.2020
Project Manager - Merchandise Presentation
Burlington Stores
01.2018 - 04.2019
Regional Visual Manager
Gap Inc. - Global Franchise & Strategic Alliances
12.2016 - 09.2017
Franchise Visual Manager - International
Gap Inc. - Old Navy
06.2014 - 12.2016
Regional Visual Manager
Gap Inc. - Old Navy
01.2012 - 01.2014
University of Hawaii at Manoa
High School Diploma -
Mid Pacific Institute