Lead with Purpose.
Build through Community.
Brieane Olson is the Chief Executive Officer of Pacsun, one of the world’s most influential youth lifestyle brands. Known for her strategic creativity and community-focused leadership, she has spent nearly two decades at the company guiding its evolution from a traditional retailer into a purpose-driven cultural mainstay.
Through her leadership, Pacsun has become a case study in how to operationalize co-creation—partnering with the next generation of consumers, creators, and communities to align commerce with culture.
From Berkeley to Boardroom
Brieane earned her degree in Mass Communications and Business from the University of California, Berkeley, then completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School, where she now serves as an AMP Ambassador.
Before stepping into the CEO role in 2023, she served as Pacsun’s President, overseeing merchandising, marketing, and digital transformation. Earlier in her career, her time at a luxury fashion house in Italy shaped her understanding of design, brand identity, and innovating at scale.
Her leadership philosophy blends business strategy with creative empathy, translating cultural insights into commercial staying power while encouraging teams to experiment, empathize, and grow.
The Co-Creation Philosophy
Brieane believes that brands thrive when they build with their communities, not for them. Her framework—outlined in her upcoming book Co-Created—centers on cultural listening, shared ownership, and purpose as an operating baseline.
Under her leadership, Pacsun embedded co-creation into every level of its organization: from merchandising and marketing to leadership and community engagement. The results speak for themselves—viral social moments, high-impact partnerships, and a business model that fuses profitability with purpose.
Brieane Olson is redefining what it means to lead by building outward from purpose, prioritizing people, and shaping culture through community.