Christine M. Day

Christine M. Day
Born	1962 Northern Ireland
Occupation	Retail executive
Years active	1986–present
Known for	CEO of Lululemon Athletica (2008–2013), CEO of Luvo Inc. (2014–present)

Christine M. Day (b. 1962) is a Canadian executive in the retail sector, recognized for her tenure as CEO of Vancouver-based food enterprise Luvo Inc. since January 2014, and formerly as CEO of the Canadian apparel brand Lululemon Athletica from 2008 until 2013. Prior to her leadership at Lululemon, she dedicated twenty years to Starbucks, including a leadership role overseeing its Asia-Pacific region.

Early life and education

Originally from Northern Ireland, Day’s family relocated to Canada following the conclusion of her father’s soccer career due to injury. The family established roots in British Columbia, where her father pursued a career in engineering. Day completed her bachelor's degree at Central Washington University in 1984.

Career

Day initiated her professional journey in private equity with Integrated Resources, acquiring investment expertise before transitioning into financial services. During this period, she connected with Howard Schultz, which led to a 20-year career at Starbucks starting in 1986. She eventually rose to manage Starbucks' operations across the Asia-Pacific region and participated in Harvard Business School’s advanced management program in 2002.

In January 2008, Day assumed the role of CEO at Lululemon Athletica, spearheading notable expansion and innovation initiatives. She was honored as the first female recipient of The Globe and Mail’s "CEO of the Year" award in 2011 and received the "Marketer of the Year" accolade from the Canadian Marketing Association. Her resignation came in June 2013, with Laurent Potdevin succeeding her.

Day took leadership of Luvo Inc. in 2014, a Vancouver-based startup focused on nutritious frozen meals with its main operations located in Atlanta, Georgia. Holding a 15% ownership stake as the company’s second largest shareholder, she concentrated on advancing Luvo’s mission to transform the healthy food industry.

Additionally, Day serves as a partner at Campfire Capital, a venture capital firm based in Vancouver.

Personal life

Day is married and has three children—two sons and one daughter. Her husband Pat served in a senior capacity at Boeing for two decades before retiring following the birth of their youngest child.

References

Further reading

For an analysis of Day’s leadership approach:

• Hill, Charles; Jones, Gareth; Schilling, Melissa (2014). "External Analysis The Identification of Opportunities and Threats: Lululemon". Strategic Management: Theory & Cases: An Integrated Approach, pp. 175–178. Cengage Learning.
• Taylor, Timothy (24 November 2011). "CEO of the Year: Christine Day of Lululemon". The Globe and Mail
• Williamson, R. Douglas (2013). "41. Acting When Pivot Points Emerge: Lululemon Athletica". Straight Talk on Leadership: Solving Canada's Business Crisis. John Wiley & Sons.