WCW Lady Boss Weekly Feature: Rose Marcario

Patagonia

Happy Woman Crush Wednesday! As we celebrate Women's History Month, this weekly lady boss feature will focus on the profiles, stories, and interviews of women entrepreneurs and business leaders. Our goal is to connect and inspire like-minded women across all industries.

This week’s lady boss feature is Rose Marcario, the former CEO of outdoor apparel company Patagonia. She spent 12 years with the company and the last six as its chief executive. Rose joined the company in 2008 as CFO and is not afraid to do things differently. Since she joined the company, Patagonia's profits have tripled. She evaluated Patagonia's production processes and revised them to be more environmentally friendly, by eliminating waste and excess packaging materials. Patagonia is a brand dedicated to environmental and social responsibility, including protecting public lands, and providing on-site childcare for workers. Rose promotes instituting sustainable practices at all levels of the business, whilst encouraging competitors to do the same.

Prior to joining Patagonia, Rose spent 15 years in private equity. She was an executive VP at an investment firm and served as CFO of the now-defunct Apple spinoff General Magic. She earned a BS in Business and Finance from the University of Albany and an MBA at California State University in Los Angeles. During her time at Patagonia, she has helped generate a little over a billion dollars in revenue and scaled the company’s environmental conservation goals to new heights. In 2012, she was part of the leadership team that got Patagonia its B certification, which means that the company is required to protect the interests of employees, investors, and the environment. Rose has helped Patagonia focus on innovation, technology, and product group development.

Rose is currently a member of the board of directors at Patagonia, and serves on the Board of Trustees at Naropa University. Her environmental activism includes preservation-focused work with organizations like Mojave Desert Land Trust and the Joshua Tree National Park Association. While most of her activism is focused on furthering her company’s ecological and social goals, Rose has also been active in L.A.’s LGBTQIA theater community, as well as volunteering at the city’s Gay and Lesbian Center. Morover, she has been an actor and a theater director and producer.

If you're interested in knowing more about Rose Marcario, watch the full interview below by Stanford Graduate School of Business.