Men might run the battlefield, but women rule at retail.

Women in leadership roles in the retail industry are few and far between. Therefore, it may come as a surprise that the one company boasting not one, but three females at the top of the executive structure comes from a decidedly masculine world--the military.

For Major General Kathryn Frost, commander, Army and Air Force Exchange Service, it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Specifically, the 1970s when the army was having trouble filling its ranks with men and was looking to add more women to the rolls. For Frost, who was willing to tackle just about any task, it was the perfect opportunity to launch a career in the army, a goal she'd always …