In the ever-evolving tapestry of the fashion and retail industry, where trends fade and return with seasonal rhythm, Gayle Catropa stands as a steady force—both timeless and visionary. As Chief Human Resources Officer at Perry Ellis International, Gayle brings nearly five decades of experience to the boardroom, her journey beginning in 1978 at Loehmann’s and spanning the full spectrum of retail’s rise, reinvention, and resilience. 

But make no mistake—this is no ordinary HR story. 

Gayle’s leadership is forged not just in hiring surges or boardroom briefings, but in the crucibles of consolidation, transformation, and reinvention. From the breakneck pace of expansion to the sobering reality of market downturns, her approach to HR has evolved into something far more strategic than traditional people management. For Gayle, agility, empathy, and foresight aren’t jargon—they are survival tools. 

She believes HR should be the radar of the organization, scanning the horizon for challenges and opportunities alike. With a career rich in navigating global labor dynamics, shaping talent strategies, and championing workforce resilience, Gayle has transformed HR from a support function into a strategic driver of business success. Her data-driven mindset balances precision with heart—leveraging compensation strategy and market analytics while nurturing a culture that attracts, retains, and reinvents talent across cycles. 

At the core of her philosophy? A simple, powerful truth: People don’t just support the brand—they are the brand. In an industry that reinvents itself every season, Gayle remains a master of reinvention, proving that great fashion may start on the runway, but it’s sustained by resilient people and visionary leadership. 

The Architect of Agile Culture 

When Gayle transitioned from her role as Chief People Officer at Kenneth Cole to become Chief Human Resources Officer at Perry Ellis International, it wasn’t merely a career move—it was a purposeful leap into the heart of transformation. Guided by a sharpened strategic HR vision and an eye for enterprise-wide impact, Gayle saw in Perry Ellis not just a respected fashion house, but fertile ground to reimagine the role of HR from the inside out. 

Her years at Kenneth Cole were rich with experience—navigating the complexities of a  brand-driven, creatively charged environment, steering HR across varied business units, and contributing to expansive growth. But as her vision matured, so did her desire to lead a more holistic, integrated HR function—one capable of anchoring and accelerating an entire company’s evolution. Perry Ellis offered that blank canvas—and Gayle stepped in with brushstrokes of foresight and purpose. 

Today, as CHRO, she’s not just managing people—she’s building a future-ready workforce and a high-performance culture designed to outpace disruption. Her philosophy is clear: HR must not only support strategy—it must become strategy. 

At the heart of Gayle’s blueprint for Perry Ellis are three foundational pillars: 

• Talent as the Engine of Innovation: For Gayle, talent management goes beyond hiring for skills—it’s about alignment, growth, and longevity. She’s recalibrating the company’s approach to acquisition and development, ensuring that the talent walking through the doors not only fits the role but fits the culture. Under her guidance, leadership training and upskilling programs are being crafted to nurture adaptability, innovation, and leadership from within—fostering a strong internal pipeline through thoughtful succession planning. 
• Culture Powered by Insight and Empathy: Gayle champions a data-informed, employee-centric model—where HR analytics guide decision-making, but emotional intelligence drives execution. She’s building a culture where people feel seen, heard, and empowered. By enhancing the employee experience and embedding transparency in communication, she’s creating a workplace culture that doesn’t just attract talent but makes them want to stay. 
• HR at the Strategy Table: Perhaps most transformative is Gayle’s insistence on HR as a strategic business partner. Her team is now deeply woven into the fabric of business planning—supporting organizational design, anticipating future needs, and leading change management initiatives that ensure Perry Ellis remains agile in a competitive marketplace. It’s a shift from reactive to proactive, from transactional to transformative. 

In Gayle’s world, HR is no longer the department of forms and policies—it is the engine of possibility. By reimagining people strategy as business strategy, she’s shaping not only the future of Perry Ellis but setting a standard for how fashion-forward companies can lead with both style and substance. 

Global HR Strategy in Action 

With decades of international HR and labor relations experience, Gayle understands that managing cross-border HR challenges takes more than policy templates or compliance checklists. As Chief Human Resources Officer at Perry Ellis International, she brings a strategic and localized approach that balances global consistency with cultural relevance. 

At the core of Gayle’s model is a strong global HR framework anchored in the company’s core values and objectives. She starts by setting universal policies—such as codes of conduct, performance management, and data privacy standards including GDPR and CCPA—to maintain consistency across regions. Yet she knows that one size does not fit all. Through close collaboration with local legal counsel and regional HR teams, she adapts each policy to ensure alignment with national labor laws, tax rules, and cultural expectations. 

Her preferred approach is tiered: global core standards form the foundation, followed by regional guidelines, and then country-specific policies tailored to local needs. This structure supports cohesion across the company while allowing agility on the ground. To keep pace with changing regulations, Gayle has implemented proactive monitoring tools, audits, and partnerships with international HR bodies to maintain compliance and competitiveness. 

But her work goes far beyond compliance. Gayle believes that cultural integration is essential to long-term workforce engagement. She avoids the “copy-paste” mindset and instead promotes a deep understanding of cultural norms, from communication styles in Asia-Pacific to work-life expectations in Europe. Policies are translated not just by language but by meaning. 

Her onboarding and training programs reflect this cultural sensitivity. Employees learn about both global expectations and local practices. Leadership development is regionally tailored, addressing different leadership styles and motivational drivers. Local HR teams are empowered as cultural ambassadors, with the tools and authority to adapt policies in ways that foster trust and belonging. 

Inclusive communication is central to her strategy. Gayle has established multi-directional channels—from global forums to localized feedback platforms—to ensure employees across time zones feel heard and connected. Diversity and inclusion are embedded in her approach, not as checkboxes but as key drivers of innovation and cohesion. Her D&I efforts highlight the value of diverse perspectives across global teams. 

Gayle also partners closely with law firms, tax advisors, and compliance experts to navigate legal complexities with confidence. Just as important is her collaboration with business leaders across regions. By understanding local operations and talent needs, she ensures HR is aligned with business strategy and actively drives growth. Her focus on clear, transparent communication strengthens trust at all levels and reduces ambiguity in complex environments. 

Through this flexible and evolving framework, Gayle has positioned HR as a global enabler. Under her leadership, Perry Ellis supports a high-performing, culturally aware workforce—one that thrives across borders, united by a common vision and respect for local identity. 

Modernizing the Employee Experience 

At Perry Ellis International, where operations span continents and cultures, Gayle understands that the true power of HR technology lies not only in efficiency—but in equity, engagement, and empowerment. Since stepping into her role as Chief Human Resources Officer, Gayle has championed the strategic integration of HRIS and related technologies as a foundational element of both operational excellence and employee experience. Her approach begins with the establishment of a unified global HRIS—a single source of truth for employee data. Prior to her tenure, information was often fragmented across local systems or managed manually through spreadsheets. Consolidating this data onto a robust cloud-based HR platform has eliminated redundancy, reduced administrative errors, and given leadership real-time visibility into the workforce. Just as important, it has empowered employees with consistent, user-friendly self-service tools to manage personal information, view pay stubs, access policies, and enroll in benefits—no matter where they are in the world. 

Beyond data centralization, Gayle has spearheaded the automation of core HR processes like onboarding, offboarding, and time and attendance tracking. These digital workflows are customized for local compliance while delivering a smooth, standardized experience that lightens the load on local HR teams. For global performance management, Perry Ellis is embracing a continuous feedback model powered by HRIS, enabling frequent check-ins, real-time goal tracking, and talent development visibility across teams and time zones. Gayle’s commitment to the employee journey is equally evident in her focus on personalized learning and communication. By integrating a Learning Management System into the HR platform, employees receive curated training paths and compliance courses aligned to both regional and career-specific needs—fueling growth and retention. 

Internally, communication has also been revolutionized through dedicated platforms that bridge global teams—delivering consistent messaging from leadership, sharing company news, and fostering a digital sense of community. Looking ahead, Perry Ellis is actively exploring AI-powered support within its HR portal—chatbots that can answer common questions 24/7 in multiple languages, freeing HR professionals to focus on strategic challenges while giving employees immediate assistance at their fingertips. Under Gayle’s leadership, HR technology is also becoming a wellspring of strategic insight. Through advanced reporting and predictive analytics, her team can now identify flight risks, assess regional engagement drivers, and anticipate workforce needs with greater precision—turning HR into a true partner in business planning. 

Gayle’s idea for HR tech at Perry Ellis goes far beyond automation. It’s about transforming the employee experience into one that is seamless, responsive, and personalized—where every individual, regardless of geography, feels empowered to grow, connected to purpose, and equipped to contribute to the company’s global success. 

HR Blueprint for a Borderless Workforce 

At Perry Ellis International, where the brand spans continents and cultures, international HR management is a daily challenge, not a theory. For Gayle, addressing this complexity goes beyond handling compliance or expat logistics. It’s about creating an HR system that balances global consistency with local agility, manages risk with precision, and builds a culturally intelligent workforce that can thrive anywhere. 

A key part of Gayle’s global strategy is leveraging talent mobility as a strategic tool. Instead of viewing mobility as transactional, she uses it to deploy the right talent to the right market at the right time. Partnering with business leaders, she identifies skill gaps, growth regions, and high-potential employees for structured international assignments. These programs—ranging from short-term projects to longer expatriate roles—include clear goals, legal support, and repatriation plans. Her team provides full support, from immigration and relocation to cultural integration. Compensation is carefully tailored to consider taxes, cost of living, and social security, ensuring fairness and compliance across borders. 

Gayle approaches local compliance with foresight and discipline. Her “think global, act local” model helps Perry Ellis maintain consistent standards while adapting to regional laws and cultures. She works closely with local HR teams and legal partners to track changes in labor law, tax rules, and employment mandates. Global policies are reviewed and localized for legal and cultural accuracy, whether they relate to leave, conduct, or safety. With data privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA in play, she has built strong protocols for consent, data transfer, and employee information security—reinforcing trust and responsibility. 

Her policy model uses a tiered approach. Core global standards around ethics, data protection, and anti-harassment form the foundation. Local addenda provide flexibility without diluting cultural cohesion. Policy rollout is paired with thoughtful training and communication. Gayle ensures materials are translated in both language and meaning, supported by onboarding, HR briefings, and manager workshops that explain legal context and promote inclusive leadership. Regular feedback from regional teams ensures policies stay relevant and effective. 

Gayle’s approach reflects more than operational excellence. It shows a deep understanding of the human dynamics in global business. By building centralized systems that respect local realities, she helps Perry Ellis navigate complexity while unlocking opportunity—enabling talent, ensuring compliance, and fostering a culture of global connection and growth. 

Leading Through Change 

Gayle brings a leadership style defined by calm adaptability, grounded empathy, and decisive strategy. As Chief Human Resources Officer at Perry Ellis International, Gayle has built a reputation for leading HR through both transformation and turbulence with composure and conviction. Her leadership approach is deeply rooted in fostering what she calls a culture of “calm competence”—empowering her teams to act with clarity, innovate without fear, and stay aligned to the long-term vision even in moments of disruption. 

When responding to rapid industry shifts—from the acceleration of e-commerce to the integration of AI in HR—Gayle leads with foresight. She champions continuous learning within her teams, emphasizes scenario planning as a strategic tool, and favors agile HR implementation models that adapt quickly to emerging trends. Under her leadership, HR is not a passive responder but a forward-looking strategic partner. She ensures her team is equipped with the right tools, training, and autonomy to deliver impact, while she herself focuses on setting clear direction, removing roadblocks, and enabling cross-functional collaboration with departments like IT and Marketing to drive cohesive transformation. 

In times of crisis, Gayle’s steady hand becomes especially evident. Whether managing organizational restructuring, navigating external reputational threats, or responding to global health emergencies, she remains composed and action-oriented. Her crisis leadership model involves rapid fact-finding, assembling the right cross-functional stakeholders, and swiftly identifying priorities—from legal compliance and employee safety to communication strategy. At the heart of her response is transparent and empathetic communication—keeping employees informed with consistent updates and demonstrating visible, accessible leadership. She is known for acknowledging the emotional realities of crises while maintaining an unwavering commitment to ethical conduct and legal compliance. 

For Gayle, leadership is not about reacting—it’s about anticipating, empowering, and guiding with integrity. Her decisions consistently balance business needs with human impact, fostering resilience not just within HR, but across the entire organization. This leadership philosophy—strategic yet human-centered, adaptive yet principle-driven—has enabled Perry Ellis to navigate disruption with confidence and emerge stronger on the other side. 

From Shop Floor to Boardroom 

Few careers reflect the transformative power of HR leadership like Gayle’s. From her first role on the sales floor at Loehmann’s in 1978 to her current position as Chief Human Resources Officer at Perry Ellis International, her journey has been marked by curiosity, courage, and a deep belief in people. Her decades in fashion retail have sharpened her strategic insight and reinforced her view of HR as both a business driver and cultural guide. 

Gayle distills impactful HR leadership into three pillars: strong business acumen, proactive strategic partnership, and a people-first focus. These principles serve as a blueprint for HR leaders seeking to create lasting impact in global retail.  

• Know the Business, Not Just the Buzzwords 

Gayle believes true influence starts with understanding the business. Early in her career, she learned how store operations worked—inventory, customer behavior, sales targets, and scheduling—and saw how corporate policies affected frontline teams. That experience drives her belief that HR must speak the language of the business. “It’s not enough to know HR,” she says. “You need to understand P&Ls, supply chains, and what drives customer satisfaction.” 

Her advice: immerse yourself. Visit stores, walk warehouses, sit with finance and marketing. Frame HR initiatives in terms of ROI, efficiency, or customer impact. In today’s data-driven world, HR must also be fluent in analytics to inform strategy and quantify results. 

• Anticipate, Don’t React 

To Gayle, HR must think like a strategist, not just a problem solver. Retail is shaped by disruption—economic shifts, tech advances, and global events. HR’s role is to prepare, not just respond. Staying ahead means reading industry reports, tracking trends, and talking to peers and thought leaders. “Ask yourself: what’s next for the workforce, and how can HR drive readiness?” 

Internally, this means building trusted relationships across the C-suite and positioning HR as a strategic partner. It also requires balancing a global outlook with local knowledge—aligning global standards while understanding regional laws, cultures, and talent dynamics. 

• Put People First, Always 

Gayle’s leadership is grounded in a belief that people power performance. In retail, employees are the face of the brand, so experience directly shapes customer loyalty. She builds systems that foster trust, inclusion, and engagement—from strong Employee Value Propositions and feedback channels to a culture of recognition. 

She also invests in leadership development, especially for frontline managers who shape the day-to-day culture. Her programs help leaders coach with empathy, navigate change, and lead with integrity. 

Through busy retail seasons and major disruptions, Gayle leads with calm, resilience, and clarity. She listens with empathy and leads with purpose, ensuring teams feel seen and supported. Yet she remains decisive, with a clear focus on the long-term health of the business and its people. 

When asked about the best leadership advice she ever received, Gayle answers without pause: “My father taught me—never take no for an answer. Keep trying until you get a yes.” That mindset, along with strategic vision and compassion, continues to shape her path and influence the future of HR in global retail. 

Vision for the Next Era of Global Retail 

As the fashion and retail industry rapidly evolves through digital transformation, shifting consumer behavior, and changing employee expectations, Gayle sees not just a challenge, but a call to action. Over the next three to five years, she believes Perry Ellis’s biggest opportunity lies in creating a workforce that is agile, digitally fluent, and inspired by purpose. For a global brand, thriving in this era will require bold, people-centered strategies across every level of the organization. 

At the core of Gayle’s approach is the understanding that future-readiness is a transformation, not a destination. One key issue is the widening digital skills gap. As Perry Ellis expands its omnichannel presence and adopts  

data-driven innovation, the demand for talent skilled in AI, e-commerce, supply chain tech, and virtual design is growing. “We can’t wait for the market to catch up—we have to build it from within,” Gayle explains. 

She is leading a skills-based strategy using analytics and AI tools to map job requirements and create personalized learning paths. From micro-learning to internal academies, the focus is on upskilling today’s workforce for tomorrow’s needs. For roles affected by automation, reskilling and internal mobility will help retain talent and reinforce the company’s growth mindset. Partnerships with academic and tech institutions will help keep development efforts current and effective. 

But skills alone aren’t enough. To attract and retain next-gen talent, especially Gen Z, Gayle is redefining the Employee Value Proposition around flexibility, purpose, growth, and well-being. This includes 5 days a week work model, flexible schedules for frontline staff, and attention to mental health, financial literacy, and work-life integration. 

Career pathing remains a key retention lever. Through mentorship, sponsorship, and clear growth frameworks, Gayle is ensuring that all employees—from stores to corporate—can see a future at Perry Ellis. “We’re building a culture where talent sees not just where they fit today, but where they can grow tomorrow,” she says. 

Balancing global consistency with local agility is one of Gayle’s ongoing challenges and successes. She empowers regional HR teams with localized tools while maintaining alignment under a unified brand and global policies. Digital platforms and targeted campaigns help strengthen the employer brand globally, while cross-border mobility supports leadership development and talent placement. 

Data drives every aspect of her approach. From predicting attrition to monitoring global hiring trends, Gayle’s team relies on analytics to inform decisions. “We can’t rely on instinct alone. The future demands precision, speed, and insight,” she states. 

By aligning skill-building, culture, and talent mobility, Gayle is positioning Perry Ellis not just to adapt to change, but to lead through it. Her vision is practical yet forward-thinking: build a workforce equipped for what’s next and deeply connected to the company’s purpose. In fashion retail, that may be the strongest advantage of all.

Anna Fedosova-Caldera, MBA, CTFA, is Sunstone Trust Company’s Chief Fiduciary Officer. She has worked for private wealth and trust companies, including U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, and First Bank, for 20 years as a senior fiduciary and trust manager.

A top-ranked financial adviser with an exceptional clientele, Anna has helped high-net-worth clients accomplish their short- and long-term goals thanks to her in-depth understanding of fiduciary matters and her sophisticated estate and trust planning abilities.

Anna worked as a vice president and senior trust advisor at U.S. Bank’s private wealth management business before joining Sunstone Trust, and before that, she was a vice president and senior trust officer at Wells Fargo Bank’s wealth management division.

She moved from Russia to the United States after graduating from Moscow University with a Bachelor of Science Degree and then from Moscow University of Statistics and Economics with a Master’s Degree in Finance. Being fluent in English, Russian, and German, Anna moved to United States wanting to capitalize on the freedom and opportunities offered by America.

Journey to becoming a Financial Expert

“You don’t always need to understand your journey in life, you just need to trust that you are going in the right direction” – Steven Aitchison

While in college pursuing her MBA, Anna was looking for a job and sent out her CV to multiple companies, seeking any position to pay her bills. She received a call from the Trust and Wealth Management Division of First Bank and was invited to the interview. She recalls, “I knew nothing about trust and wealth management, yet as I was learning about the role and duties and this division’s value proposition, I was intrigued with the concept.” She further adds, “I remember saying to myself, “I would be very interested in pursuing this line of business“.” Later that day, she received a call from First Bank offering her this job, and just like that, it launched her career in the financial industry.

In Los Angeles, Anna started her career in finance with a 12-year stint as a Trust Officer and Relationship Manager at First Bank’s Wealth Management Group. As Anna points out, leaving U.S. Bank for Sunstone Trust Company is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to join an innovative organization that is reinventing the wealth management sector in a C-level position. “I am excited to share my experience and knowledge with my new team and help them succeed,” says Anna.

Stepping in as Chief Fiduciary Officer

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Oliver Goldsmith

Anna’s primary duties at Sunstone Trust will be to establish fiduciary policies, supervise the screening of new customers, and make sure they get the precise goods and services that are needed to meet their individual needs. She states, “I will personally handle some of the largest client relationships and lead the team in growing the Trust, Fiduciary, and Wealth Management business lines.” She will also be leading and mentoring the trust officers and advisors and promoting their talents both internally and externally. As a member of the C-suite, she will participate in strategic decisions about the company’s direction.

The Company

Trust corporations have a rich history of strength and stability in the United States. The Title Guaranty & Trust Company was created as the first in California in 1895, whereas Alexander Hamilton founded the Bank of New York and Trust Company in 1784. Both businesses are still in business today.

The Department of Financial Protection & Innovation regulates Sunstone Trust Company, and it is frequently audited to make sure it maintains the necessary capital levels and abides by all relevant regulations. In California, where it has existed for 125 years, the trust firm industry has remained steady.

The main office of Sunstone Trust Company is in Irvine, California, and it has knowledgeable employees all around the state. The trust is keen to advise its international customers on how to transfer their assets to California and how to acclimate to life there because it resides and works there.

The majority of Sunstone Trust Company’s clients choose California because of its favorable climate, plenty of locally grown fresh food, high standard of living, active lifestyle, and capacity to safeguard all or a portion of their American assets. Its staff are prepared to welcome new immigrants and are eager to collaborate with those who are already present.

The trust’s regulators, such as the DFPI Trust Services Division, strictly enforce laws that require it to be well-capitalized, to segregate client assets from corporate assets, and to strictly honor its duty to act as a true fiduciary for its clients.

Changing Demands in the Finance Sector

The world is seeing a shift away from commodity service offerings such as standard brokerage account portfolios and towards high-touch offerings like small private investment funds. Anna opines, “Our clients want both a slick user interface to see their holdings as well as instant access to their human advisors. They want exclusive access to exciting products and they want advice from people they like and trust.“ A lot of what Anna will be doing in her new position is curating these sorts of opportunities for the firm’s clients and empowering them to do their own research. Sunstone is agile, innovative, and staffed with talented and honest people. The teams are busy launching innovative, tech-powered products and services.

Anna feels it is important to not get distracted by the latest shiny object in financial services and to stay focused on understanding clients and meeting their evolving needs.

The Definition of Success Isn’t a Title

“Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.“ – Arthur Ashe

Like most individuals, Anna has had ups and downs on her path to achievement and has encountered numerous obstacles. But according to her, without a challenge, there is no incentive to develop, outperform, show yourself, be successful, and go forward in the world. Despite this, she is assuming this new leadership role and perhaps a partnership. She asserts, “The definition of my success isn’t a title; the title is what I was working towards to have something tangible next to my name, but to get to this level was success on its own. And my road isn’t finished yet, I am motivated to get to the highest level I can.”

Recognition as a Professional

Anna has been recognized on a few occasions as a Legend of Possible, a prestigious award for top-ranked advisors while at U.S. Bank. She has also been named one of the “10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders of 2022” by Industry Era Women Leaders Magazine, as well as one of the “Top 50 Women Leaders of Los Angeles” for 2022 by the Women We Admire organization.

A Look Ahead to the Future

Anna hopes to one day rank among the top executives and leading professionals in the wealth management sector. She anticipates reflecting in five years and is proud of her role in establishing one of Southern California’s most dynamic and prosperous asset management firms. The company anticipates that customers will be clamoring to use the incredible private investment funds available through the firm’s platform. She says, “The funds we administer are at the center of a burgeoning innovation ecosystem, and that will be exciting to see grow.” She also shares that Sunstone Trust is launching its own first-of-its-kind credit card for the wealth management industry and it has other innovative developments underway. As per Anna, the firm will be the club everyone wants to join!

Advice From Experience

Anna is very enthusiastic and an optimistic person, both professionally and personally. She applies the same emotions when it comes to her career as her personal/social life. She works and lives with a concept that “my glass is half full”, never “half empty”.

“Life isn’t about finding yourself; Life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw

While advising emerging women leaders, Anna mentions that while it is challenging, no doubt, find your passion and trust your instincts. She states, “When you trust your instincts, your true self emerges in the most authentic way. Always push yourself to learn as much as you possibly can and never settle for the status quo. Turn your passion, excellence, and enthusiasm towards laying the foundation for progress. Support and empower other women.”

Website: www.sunstonetrust.com