Biographical Summary

Alber came to Williams-Sonoma as a buyer in the Pottery Barn catalog division in 1995. When many friends and colleagues were leaving their jobs for the glamorous worlds of dot com and investment banking in the late 1990s, Alber stayed put. "I believe my loyalty and focus on one company has paid off," she said in 2008. "I am absolutely certain that part of my success is because I've never given up." In 2006, Alber was named President of Williams-Sonoma and assumed responsibility for leading the Pottery Barn brand portfolio West Elm, and the company's global supply chain, distribution, and logisticsWilliam. At just 41 (as of Jan 2010), Alber is generations younger than outgoing CEO and mentor Howard Lester, who is in his seventies. Alber, widely regarded as a passionate superstar, has been credited with starting the company's Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen lines and is said to have driven its ambitious expansion into the Middle East. "She is the perfect leader to succeed me," Lester said.