Gap Inc., furthering its efforts to integrate fashion and culture, has added Jody Gerson, chairman and chief executive officer of Universal Music Publishing Group, to its board.

The addition of Gerson raises the size of Gap’s board to 12 members.

Gerson is the first female CEO of a major music publisher and the first woman to chair a global music company. Since joining UMPG in 2015, she has led the signing of such influential artists as Adele, Harry Styles, Kendrick Lamar, SZA and Coldplay, and spearheaded acquisitions of the Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond and Sting catalogues.

She also serves on the boards of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Ancestry.com, Project Healthy Minds and the National Music Publishers Association, and is a cofounder of the nonprofit She Is the Music.

“Jody is a cultural force in her own right,” Richard Dickson, president and CEO of Gap Inc., said in a statement. “Her insights into fashion-tainment — our platform at the intersection of fashion, music and celebrity — are unmatched. At Gap Inc., we’ve always believed that style is a form of storytelling, and Jody’s ability to amplify voices and shape cultural moments will be invaluable as we continue redefining what it means to be an iconic, purpose-led house of brands.”

“Jody’s ability to connect culture and commerce is exactly what makes her such a dynamic leader,” added Mayo A. Shattuck 3rd, chair of the Gap Inc. board. “Her vision and creativity will help us strengthen our brands’ resonance with the next generation of consumers.”

“Gap Inc. has long been a cultural icon, bridging fashion, music and identity,” Gerson said in her statement. She also credited Gap for undergoing “a remarkable renaissance as a brand that’s become synonymous with the culture of music.”

Among Gap Inc.’s efforts to connect fashion and culture, the company featured girl group Katseye in the “Better in Denim” campaign this season, and last year hired designer Zac Posen as executive vice president and creative director, where he has been dressing celebrities in Gap including Timothée Chalamet, Anne Hathaway and Demi Moore for red carpet events. At the 2025 Met Gala, actress Laura Harrier wore a custom look by Posen, who also serves as chief creative officer at the Old Navy division.

The San Francisco-based specialty retailer reported that net sales for the second quarter ended Aug. 2 reached $3.7 billion, which were flat compared to last year, though comparable sales, a better barometer of the business, rose 1 percent year-over-year. 

Operating income was essentially flat at $292 million from $293 million a year ago. Net income rose to $216 million, up from $206 million in the year-ago period.

Aside from Dickson, Shattuck and Gerson, others on the Gap Inc. board are: Brady Brewer, CEO of Starbucks International; Salaam Coleman Smith, former executive vice president of the Disney ABC Television Group; Lisa Donohue, former CEO of Publicis Spine; Robert Fisher, managing director of Pisces Inc. and former interim CEO of Gap Inc.; William Fisher, executive vice chairman, Pisces Inc., founder/CEO of Manzanita Capital Ltd.; Kathryn A. Hall, executive managing director of Pathstone, founder/co-executive chair of Galvanize Climate Solutions; Amy Miles, former chair and CEO of Regal Entertainment Group; Chris O’Neill, CEO of GrowthLoop, and Tariq Shaukat, CEO of Sonar.