Sonia Syngal is an American businesswoman who formerly served as the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especiall ...

(CEO) of

Gap, Inc. The Gap, Inc., commonly known as Gap Inc. or Gap (stylized as GAP), is an American worldwide clothing and accessories retailer. Gap was founded in 1969 by Donald Fisher and Doris F. Fisher and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. The ...

, the largest specialty apparel company in the U.S.

Early life and education

Syngal was born to Sushma and Satya Syngal in India, before her family moved to Canada at a young age. She later moved to the United States where she got her bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from

Kettering University Kettering University is a private university in Flint, Michigan. It offers Bachelor of Science, bachelor of science and master's degree, master’s degrees in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM (science, technology, engineeri ...

in 1993. and her Master's in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...

in 1995.

Career

Syngal has held roles in several Fortune 500 companies, including 10 years at

Sun Microsystems Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Sun for short) was an American technology company that sold computers, computer components, software, and information technology services and created the Java programming language, the Solaris operating system, ZFS, t ...

, where she led manufacturing operations, logistics and supply chain management, and six years at

Ford Motor Co. Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobile ...

, where she held roles in product design, quality and manufacturing engineering. Syngal joined Gap Inc. in 2004 and has served in a number of leadership roles including Managing Director for the company's Europe business, Senior Vice President for Gap Inc.’s International division and International Outlet division. She was Executive Vice President of Global Supply Chain and Product Operations, responsible for managing Gap Inc.’s global supply chain and redefining its product-to-market model for its portfolio of brands. From 2016 to 2020 Syngal led Gap Inc.'s largest brand,

Old Navy Old Navy is an American clothing and accessories retailing company owned by multinational corporation Gap Inc. It has corporate operations in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The largest of the Old Navy stores are its ...

. Under her tenure, the brand grew from $7B to $8B in sales, expanded it
North American
presence to more than 1,200 stores, scaled its ecommerce site to the no. 4 largest apparel site in the U.S., and built competitive omni-channel capabilities. She was named CEO of Gap Inc. in March 2020. She led the company’s portfolio of lifestyle brands including Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta, across all geographies and channels, with a team of more than 100,000 employees. At the time of her appointment as CEO in March 2020, Syngal was one of 37 women CEOs at Fortune 500 companies, and one of only three women CEOs of color. Syngal has also served as a Steering Committee member of the Fashion Pact, a global coalition of companies in the fashion and textile industry committed to core environmental goals in three areas: stopping global warming, restoring biodiversity, and protecting the oceans. Syngal stepped down from her CEO position and from Gap Inc.'s Board on July 11, 2022.

Philanthropy

Syngal is a member of the

Boys & Girls Clubs of America Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) is a national organization of local chapters which provide voluntary after-school programs for young people. The organization, which holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code, h ...

.Board of Governors
and serves o
The Gap Foundation
Board of Trustees.

Accolades

I
2021
an
2020
FORTUNE named Syngal to "Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business” and i
2019
FORTUNE named Syngal among the "Top 10 Women to Watch" in its Most Powerful Women issue.

Personal life

Syngal is married to Joe McGrath. They have two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Syngal, Sonia Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American chief executives of fashion industry companies American chief executives of Fortune 500 companies American retail chief executives American women chief executives Canadian retail chief executives Canadian women business executives Indian emigrants to Canada Indian emigrants to the United States Kettering University alumni Stanford University alumni Gap Inc. people 21st-century American women