In a surprising turn of events, Sophia Amoruso, the OG #GIRLBOSS of Nasty Gal, has announced today that she will be stepping down from her position as CEO. Re/code reports that the 30-year-old mogul has decided to help her brand grow by stepping back, and putting her business in the hands of a new leader: Sheree Waterson, who joined the eBay-born business last year and had previously shepherded brands like Speedo, Levi’s, and Lululemon to retail success.
While we often associate CEO departures with some scandal (Mike Jeffries and Dov Charney, most recently), that doesn't seem to be the case for the young, self-made style pioneer. As Re/code's report claims, Danny Rimer of Index Ventures — the company that backed the e-commerce shop with nearly $50 million — says that Amoruso’s decision to step down is entirely her own, and there's nothing behind it but her intentions to help take “Nasty Gal to the next level of maturity.”
This news comes after Sophia's mega success with her own label, her girl-power tome, #GIRLBOSS, and the opening of Nasty Gal's first stand-alone store. Going forward, it appears that Sophia will still play a role in communicating with her fellow Nasty Gals — the ones who've known her by name since she was just running an e-Bay shop — but it's Waterson who she's officially entrusted to make her business soar. (Re/code)