Episode
401. How Old Navy is building opportunity at scale
- Podcast
- Retail Gets Real
- Published
- Jan 14, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1258
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://retailgetsreal.com
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Summary
Horacio “Haio” Barbeito, president and CEO of Old Navy, joins Retail Gets Real to reflect on a global career in retail, the responsibility of developing future talent and how leaders can navigate rapid change while keeping humanity at the center of the business. With nearly three decades of experience spanning Argentina, the United States, Chile, Puerto Rico and Canada, Barbeito’s leadership philosophy was shaped by working across cultures and markets. His journey — which included 26 years at Walmart and CEO roles in multiple international businesses — reinforced an early lesson: Growth happens when leaders are willing to leave their comfort zones. Retail, he says, is never static. It demands constant learning, movement and responsiveness to customers whose expectations evolve at the speed of culture. (00:00:00) Building a global retail career through change (00:06:16) Creating first jobs that change lives (00:10:26) Why investing in people is smart business (00:13:20) Navigating AI without losing the human touch (00:19:14) Advice for the next generation of retail leaders The National Retail Federation is the world’s largest retail trade association. Every day, we passionately stand up for the people, policies and ideas that help retail succeed. Resources: • Learn more about Retail’s Big Show in NYC • Become an NRF member and join the world’s largest retail trade association • Learn about our retail education platform, NRF Foundation, at nrffoundation.org • Learn about retail advocacy at nrf.com/advocacy • Find more episodes at retailgetsreal.com Related: • 391. AI, skills-first hiring and the next era of retail jobs