Pivot Points: Valerie Bleza on Hard Work, Reinvention, and Leading Through Change

A member of the cheer team at St. John's, she was also among the first students to live on campus when the Residence Village opened in 1999. That decision helped her balance academics and the demands of cheerleading.

"It was a huge time commitment," she explained. "When everyone went home for winter break, we would stay behind and practice in Alumni Hall (now Carnesecca Arena) in the cold because they used to turn off the heat over break."

Balancing those commitments was no small feat—especially given the intensity of her academic program. "Everybody on the cheerleading team knew better than me to pick accounting," she said. "It was a good primer because the program is a strong pipeline into the Big Four."

The rigorous nature of the accounting program was certainly worthwhile, as Ms. Bleza secured a position at Deloitte & Touche (now Deloitte) before graduation.

Just as her professors predicted, life at a Big Four firm was demanding. "It was a bit like boot camp," she recalled. "There were times when we worked 27 days in a row until 2 a.m. I don't know if any generation will ever work like that again because of remote work."

After getting her footing at Deloitte, she joined International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., before making the move to the fashion world, working for Henri Bendel (part of the former L Brands); Marc Jacobs (part of LVMH); and others, eventually finding her way to Knot Standard.

"By that time in my career, I had experience in working with private equity-back companies, so I had the fitness to be in that kind of environment," she explained. "We were doing great, and we thought 2020 would be the year where we reached profitability—but then COVID hit."

Suddenly, workplaces went remote, and the bottom dropped out of the market for custom clothing. "We did a hard pivot and had to change the business entirely," she said. "Now, we operate as a Software as a Service (SaaS) company and we sell our software platform to men's brands, such as Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, and Peter Millar."

Among her proudest professional achievements was stewarding a major transaction when another apparel company acquired Knot Standard's stores, showrooms, and salespeople. "I was able to steward a soft landing where everybody still had the same job as before, and they found a safe, similar, and new home. That was really important to me."

Her career reflects a steady process of reinvention—expanding beyond an accounting foundation and continuously developing the broader skills needed to lead in finance and operations. "I enjoy leading many different departments, and I've leaned into incorporating AI [artificial intelligence] into my daily life and at work," she said. "It's a big initiative because we're such a small team and we're a technology platform."

She is a member of the Young President’s Organization (YPO), a global leadership community for chief executives and servers on the boards of nonprofits. "I try to volunteer for nonfinance roles," she said, "just so I can be well-rounded."

Looking back, it's that same resilience—built through long hours, constant change, and a willingness to adapt—that has defined her career. It's a mindset she credits for carrying her through every challenge along the way.

"Through hard work and fitness, you can literally outwork anything," she said.