9 Questions with Our CEO, Mary Ellen Coyne

Mary Ellen Coyne photographed in New York by Brittany Daniel.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we sat down with our CEO, Mary Ellen Coyne. Mary Ellen joined J.McLaughlin in 2016, becoming our first female CEO and overseeing all aspects of strategy and operations including merchandising, product development, marketing, retail expansion, and e-commerce. Under her leadership, J.McLaughlin has launched new product verticals including swim and footwear, enjoyed robust retail expansion, and more.

Prior to joining J.McLaughlin, Mary Ellen had two decades of leadership experience at Ralph Lauren, where she most recently served as the Chief Merchandising Officer of POLO Women and Children Divisions. Her career kicked off in the Macy’s Training Program, and from there, she sharpened her industry expertise with key merchandising roles at Ann Taylor, The Gap, and Victoria’s Secret. A lifelong New Yorker, Coyne resides in Manhattan and serves on the Board of Trustees of Fordham Preparatory School.

Below, Mary Ellen tells us the most valuable insights from her career, advice to women, skills essential to being a great female leader, and more.

1. What is your current motto?

My current motto is the same as I’ve had for many, many years. It's a quote from Maya Angelou who said “people will not remember what you said, people will not remember what you did, people will remember the way you made them feel”. I truly believe this both in my personal and professional life. My dad passed away a few months ago and hundreds of people attended the services and the vast majority of them, either quietly off to the side or very publicly in front of hundreds of people, told stories about how he made them feel, how it changed their lives, how it launched their careers. I guess that’s who I got it from, and it’s something I truly believe.

2. Are you an introvert or extrovert?

I am a textbook introvert!

3. What advice would you give to women starting off their career?

1. Work hard. Unfortunately, women have to work a lot harder to get ahead. I hope that’s not always the case, but it is today.

2. Believe in yourself and believe in what you’re doing.

3. Promote other females. I truly believe empowering other females is one of the most important responsibilities we share.

4. What are the most valuable lessons you’ve learned throughout your career?

Don’t ever lose sight of what’s most important. Take progress over perfection. It took me a very long time, as a perfectionist in every aspect of my life, to learn that everything doesn’t need to be perfect. Show up, give it your all, do your best and your team and your family will appreciate it!

5. Advice to women who want to try something new but are hesitant.

Trust your instinct. Your intuition is invaluable and deep down you will always know the right thing to do or the right thing at that moment, even if it doesn’t feel like the right thing. Ultimately, you have to trust yourself, take risks but take measured risks. Take risks supported by data. Do your homework but always, always, always trust what you truly feel inside.

6. What advice would you give your younger self?

One word. Linger. Take the time, enjoy the moments big and small. Celebrate successes, be thoughtful about moving forward. In this crazy life that we lead with careers and families and children, and parents and everything we have to get done in a day. I spent a lot of time moving through things very quickly, planning and getting on to the next thing, trying to get ahead. I’m very much now enjoying this sense of being able to linger. I think had I been more thoughtful all along, I could have done it much more all along the journey.

7. What skills do you think are essential to being a great female leader?

Have empathy. Understand where people are, understand what they’re going through, and understand their potential. Lead by example. Be a good listener. Be tenacious. Be a great mentor.

8. What is your advice for handling challenges?

Keep it simple. If you can boil down a complex problem to one issue, the solution becomes clear and you can rally the team behind the solution.

9. What do you love about working at J. McLaughlin?

First and foremost, our team! They’re an amazing group of talented individuals. Tenured. Respectful of others, who work unbelievably well as a team. Our store teams are the best in the industry, just amazing at every location. The team at our headquarters in Greenpoint inspires me every single day. They make it an absolute pleasure to come to the office and to do what we do. Next, I would say having the opportunity to focus our customers and bring joy to their lives. Making their lives a little bit easier because the clothes we put together are beautifully made, are outstanding quality, and a very fair price. The clothes travel well, they don’t wrinkle, the vast majority are machine washable. It’s easy to build your wardrobe year after year, season after season to just layer on new pieces to the pieces that you have come to love over the years. I’d also say that after almost 48 years J.McLaughlin has never lost its entrepreneurial spirit. It’s so energizing to come in and have a conversation which generates an idea and an idea becomes an action item. The action item is played out and it has an impact on business. We’re incredibly nimble and really still believe in the spirit of entrepreneurship.