Speaker bio coming soon...

 

Helayne Angelus, a Principal with Kalypso, brings over 30 years of global consumer products and retail expertise to Kalypso’s clients. Helayne harnesses her extensive global experience and passion for creating a competitive advantage through diverse, high performing teams.

Prior to joining Kalypso, Helayne was Vice President of Customer Business Development Global Diversity with Procter and Gamble (P&G) and immediate past President of the Network of Executive Women. Helayne began her sales career with Procter & Gamble, where she was a pioneer for women in sales and progressed through a variety of P&G sales management positions, including unit sales manager, district manager in New York, division sales manager in Cincinnati ,and manager of worldwide sales training and development. Her general management responsibilities have included leading P&G’s Kmart/Sears, wholesale, military, and direct technology businesses.

Helayne is a graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University. She is actively involved in the Network of Executive of Women, of which she was a founder, and the President’s Circle for Barnard College where she is also the alumnae regional leader. 

 

Mr. Braddock, 67, began his business career in 1965 spending a number of years in product management at General Foods. He joined Citicorp in 1973, was elected to the board of directors in 1985 and was elected president and chief operating officer of Citicorp and its principal subsidiary, Citibank, N.A. in January, 1990. Mr. Braddock resigned from Citicorp in November, 1992, and subsequently served as chief executive officer of Medco Containment Services, Inc. until its acquisition by Merck & Co., Inc., and then spent a year as a principal at Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, Inc. He served as Chairman (non-executive) of True North Communications Inc. from December, 1997 to January of 1999. He served as Chairman and CEO of priceline.com from August of 1998 to April 2004. Mr. Braddock served as Chairman of MidOcean Partners from April of 2003 until December 2007, and also became Chairman of FreshDirect in 2005. In March of 2008 Mr. Braddock became Chairman and CEO of Fresh Direct.

Mr. Braddock serves on the board of directors of Eastman Kodak Company (lead director), Fresh Direct Holdings, Inc., Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Cristo Rey Network, and several private companies. He is a trustee of the Manhattan Institute and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

 

Jeff Cashman serves as Manhattan Associates' senior vice president of business development. Mr. Cashman joined Manhattan Associates in January 2005 from MAPICS, a publicly traded company that specializes in enterprise resource planning software solutions for manufacturing companies, where he served as vice president and general manager of international operations. While at MAPICS, he also served as their vice president of professional services and chief marketing officer. Prior to MAPICS, Mr. Cashman held senior executive positions at Viewlocity, a supply-chain event management software solutions provider and as senior vice president of marketing and business development at McHugh Software (now Red Prairie). Mr. Cashman started his career with Accenture, where he spent more than a decade in their distribution/logistics software organization and supply chain strategy practices. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois.

 

Ms. Colantuono joined Walter Karl in 1994 as a brokerage assistant.  In 1999, Lori was promoted to manage the Compiled Division including selling, marketing and promoting all of the properties owned by infoGroup.  These products include the proprietary Business and Consumer Databases, Data Processing, Enhancement Services, Modeling, Profiling as well as our On-Line Self Reported surveys.  Additionally, Ms. Colantuono is involved with building new products to bring to market.  In 2007, she was promoted to SVP of Proprietary and Email List Management Services.  She was responsible for all sales within the Proprietary data as well as the Email List Management Division.   In June 2010 she was promoted to co-lead the organization and is currently responsible for business and product development, operations and marketing.  Lori is a graduate from the State University of New York, Plattsburgh and began her career in the direct mail industry shortly thereafter.

 

Sharon Daniels, President and Chief Executive Officer, has overall responsibility for the strategic direction of AchieveGlobal. She firmly promotes the concept that the quality of an organization’s interpersonal skills can determine success, and also applies that same thinking to leading AchieveGlobal and its hundreds of employees. 

In her time at AchieveGlobal, Ms. Daniels has been instrumental in work with customers from a broad array of industries, including financial services, government, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, telecommunications, and others. She leads AchieveGlobal’s Executive Advisory Board, using their feedback alongside other information resources to make well-informed decisions about the future of the company. She has sustained and developed AchieveGlobal’s extensive worldwide footprint, in over 40 countries, and capitalizes on the best practices resulting from AchieveGlobal’s long legacy, built on 40+ years in the performance improvement business.

Numerous press outlets have taken recent interest in Ms. Daniels’ accomplishments and point-of-view, including Fortune.com, Harvard Business Review, Chief Executive Magazine, Fox Business News, Selling Power Magazine, and others. She regularly participates in speaking engagements around the world, with recent sessions delivered in the U.S.

(Argyle Executive Forum, University of Florida’s Miller Center) and Asia (Commonwealth Magazine’s Human Capital Event).

Under her watch, AchieveGlobal has won a number of awards, including Chief Learning Officer’s Excellence in Customer Service award (silver), The American Business Award’s Best new Product/Service of the Year (Finalist), and Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Best Place to Work honor.

Ms. Daniels originally joined Kaset International in 1991, and served in the roles of Consultant, VP of Operations and General Manager of Field Operations. In 1997 and 1998 she held a leadership role involved in the integration of the three companies: Learning International, Kaset International and Zenger Miller, which together became AchieveGlobal.

Prior to returning to AchieveGlobal, she served as President and CEO of Communispond, a corporate communications company headquartered in New York. She was introduced to Communispond through her work with Frontline Group, a roll up of eight individual performance improvement companies.

Ms. Daniels’ career prior to her work in the training industry was in the field of banking. She joined Southeast Bank, headquartered in Miami, Florida, after college and held numerous roles in operations, the mergers and acquisitions team, branch management, and training and consulting. She was with Southeast Bank for fifteen years. Ms. Daniels holds a bachelor of education degree from the University of Florida, and a Master’s in Training and Organizational Development from the University of South Florida, and has over twenty-five years of experience in general management and sales leadership roles.

On the personal front, Ms. Daniels is married and has three children. In her spare time she enjoys volunteering in her community as well as hiking.

 

Mr. Dart is a senior partner and managing director at retail and consumer products consultancy Kurt Salmon and the leader of Kurt Salmon’s strategy and private equity practice. He also co-authored The New Rules of Retail, a guide to succeeding in a rapidly changing retail environment. In his more than twenty years of consulting, Mr. Dart has worked with many of the leaders in the retail and consumer products industry, as well as private equity funds, including Microsoft, Michaels Arts & Crafts, Blackstone, TH Lee and the Carlyle Group. Consulting magazine named him one of their top 25 consultants of 2010.

 

Jamie Egasti is a 30 year veteran of Procter & Gamble. He held increasing levels of responsibility in sales and marketing in the Food & Beverage businesses before being named General Manager of Global New Business Development in the Fabric & Home Care Division. During this time, he lead the creation, launch & globalization of several new brands and categories including Febreze & Swiffer.

In 2001, he was then named Vice President of the Americas Snacks business where he lead the turnaround of the Pringles business before being promoted to President Global Coffee & Snacks , a $3.2 Business.

Most recently he was CEO of the Folgers Coffee Company, where he lead P&G’s split-off of the $1.7B Coffee business and the transition to the J M Smucker company. He retired after the transaction.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Wilton Brands, Mr Youth and Thinkvine. He is a member of the Advisory board of Resource Interactive and Linkwell Health.

He is a 1979 graduate of Harvard University.

 

John Fiske was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Stores Officer for the Talbots brand in March 2009.  In this role, he oversees all aspects of the company’s retail operations, including its U.S. and Canadian stores, retail administration and Upscale Outlet division.  Prior to this appointment, he was Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Administration for The Talbots, Inc.

John has over 20 years of retail experience and has held leadership roles at J. Jill, Abercrombie & Fitch, Kenneth Cole Productions and The Timberland Company.  His expertise spans human resources, retail operations, strategic planning and business development.

 

Mike Friedman brings over 29 years of consumer products management experience to Kalypso. As the Front End of Innovation Practice Lead, he focuses on leading development in the areas of sustainable organization capability, commercialization and innovation capability integration.

Prior to joining Kalypso, Mike enjoyed 29 years in a variety of assignments around the world with Procter and Gamble (P&G). He has broad experience in innovation management, sales, brand management, supply chain management, customer service and logistics. Mike spent his last six years at P&G as the global Initiative Success COE Leader, where he led the organization transformation effort to improve innovation capability to deliver 4-6% annual sales growth. He has ME & BS Chemical Engineering degrees from RPI and an MBA from Farleigh Dickinson.

 

Jill Granoff has been the CEO of Kenneth Cole Productions since May, 2008 following a 20-year career as a strategist and brand builder in the fashion and beauty industries. She was previously EVP at Liz Claiborne, Inc., where she had global responsibility for Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand Jeans, Kate Spade and the company’s e-commerce and outlet businesses.

Before Liz Claiborne, Jill was President and COO of Victoria’s Secret Beauty, a subsidiary of Limited Brands.  Prior to that, Jill held several senior management positions at The Estee Lauder Companies where she worked for 10 years. She began her career at A.T. Kearney, Inc. as a management consultant.

Jill is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Duke University and earned her Masters in Business Administration from Columbia University, where she was awarded the Lawrence A. Wien Fellowship for academic excellence.

Outside of work, Jill is an active member of the community. Jill is a member of the Board of Directors of FIT’s Educational Foundation, Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) and a member of The Women’s Forum.

Jill has been featured as a leading female executive in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, and Greenwich Magazine. In addition, she has received many honors including the CEW Achiever Award, the YWCA Brava Award and the Leadership Award from the Girl Scouts of Greater New York.

Jill resides in Greenwich, CT with her husband, Richard, and their two sons. 

 

David Jaffe is President and CEO of dressbarn, inc., a leading national retailer with over $2.6 billion in annual sales and approximately 2,500 stores through its dressbarn, Justice and maurices brands.  He joined dressbarn in 1992, holding numerous positions of increasing responsibility until being promoted to President & CEO in 2002.  David was responsible for spearheading the transition of dressbarn from an off-price discount store to a lifestyle specialty store brand.  In 2005 he led the merger with maurices and then again in 2009 with Justice.

Prior to joining dressbarn, David was a General Partner of Chemical Venture Partners, a private equity firm.  He began his career at Merrill Lynch as a portfolio manager.  David received his BS/BA from the Wharton School/University of Pennsylvania and a MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. 

David is the founder, secretary/treasurer and a director of the Food Allergy Initiative, and a trustee of the New Canaan Country School.  He lives with his wife and four children in New Canaan, CT.

 

Ken Lakin completed a master’s degree in business administration from George Washington University, and after a stint with Federated Department Stores in Houston, TX has spent the past 26 years helping to build his family’s business into a billion dollar enterprise. He has served as buyer, store manager, regional director, vice chairman and CEO.  He now serves the new company as director of operations.

 

Mr. Lewis has forty years of strategic operating and consulting experience in the retail and consumer products industry. He has worked for VF Corporation, Goldman Sachs, Kohl’s and DuPont in addition to his role as executive editor of Women’s Wear Daily. Mr. Lewis is currently a professor at the School of Graduate Studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology and is the author of The Robin Report.

 

Jon L. Luther was named chief executive officer of Dunkin' Brands in January 2003 and chairman in March 2006.  In 2009, he assumed the role of Executive Chairman.

Since joining Dunkin’ Brands in 2003, Luther has led the transformation, revitalization and global expansion of the company’s two iconic brands—Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins.  Early on, he instituted values-based leadership, re-setting the company culture. Under his direction, stores have been completely re-concepted with exciting, contemporary designs that also honor both brands’ beloved heritage.  He has rolled out a portfolio of flexible store formats that opened the door to growth in non-traditional locations, such as stadiums, airports and universities.  In 2005, Luther brought in a culinary “dream team” of award-winning chefs to fuel menu innovation and excellence, creating a new category called “quick quality” to change perceptions about what is possible in a quick service meal. He stepped up the company’s research capability with a consumer insights group, and refocused and re-energized the brands’ marketing initiatives, leading to the 2006 launch of Dunkin’ Donuts’ award-winning marketing campaign, “America Runs on Dunkin’.”

Most notably, Luther has led the expansion of Dunkin’ Donuts from its core region in the Northeast to key markets across the U.S., and the dramatic growth of both brands’ international business. Since 2003, system-wide sales have increased over 66% and total number of stores nearly 44%.

Prior to joining Dunkin’ Brands, Luther was president of Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits, a division of AFC Enterprises. During his six years with Popeyes, the company’s store count grew 67% to 1,672 units, while average annual unit volume grew to over $1 million, the highest in the chicken QSR category. With Luther at the helm, Popeyes won industry awards for menu strategy, store re-design and customer satisfaction.

Prior to Popeyes, Luther was president of CA One Services, a subsidiary of Delaware North Companies, Inc.  He has also held leadership positions in the contract foodservice division of the Marriott Corporation and at ARAMARK in Philadelphia, PA., where he rose from vending sales director to become president of Davre’s, ARAMARK’s luxury restaurant subsidiary. Jon also founded Benchmark Services, Inc., a foodservice management firm specializing in business dining for corporations, growing the business into a strong regional competitor.

Luther holds a degree in hotel and restaurant management from Paul Smith’s College, and honorary doctorate degrees from Bentley College, Johnson & Wales University, and Paul Smith’s College.  He supports culinary and foodservice programs at a variety of institutions, including serving on the Board of Trustees for the Culinary Institute of America.  In addition, Luther is on the Board of Directors for the National Retail Federation, and the Executive Board of Directors for the Companions in Courage Foundation, which builds interactive playrooms in children’s hospitals throughout North America. He is also currently serving as the Secretary for the International Franchise Association.

In 2005, Luther was the recipient of the Nation’s Restaurant News Golden Chain award, and in 2006, he received the Chain Leadership award from Chain Leader magazine.  Luther was awarded the 2007 Gold Plate Award from the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) and the 2008 Mentor of the Year award from the Elliot Leadership Conference.  In 2009, Luther was inducted into the NRAEF’s 2009 College of Diplomates.

 

Throughout her career in the fashion industry, Geralynn Madonna has always focused on thewomen who wear it. Beginning at Lane Bryant in 1978, she joined Avon Fashions four yearslater. In 1987, following a leveraged buyout, the company became Newport News. Afterbeing purchased by the Spiegel Group in the early 90s, Geralynn became Vice President ofMerchandising. In 2001, she became President/COO. In March 2003, she added the title ofPresident/CEO of Spiegel Catalog.

Geralynn embraced many changes over the years, always emphatically believing in establishinga deep, meaningful connection with the consumer, adapting brands to fulfill the changing needsof the consumer’s life and building businesses on intelligent, flexible principles. Today shedirects the Spiegel, Newport News and ShapeFx brands under the Signature Styles umbrella asPresident/CEO.

 

Mrs. Toni Miller joined Boscov's in June 2009 after spending over 27 years with Bass Pro Shops, serving since 2000 as their Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mrs. Miller is a graduate of Southern Nazarene University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. She also attended Missouri State University with a concentration on Finance and Accounting. She completed her MBA from Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri and is a Certified Public Accountant.

She has over 30 years of retail experience in finance and operations, having started her career primarily in direct marketing and from there her experience grew into retail stores, food services, hospitality and manufacturing.

She also serves on various retail industry advisory councils including the NRF and NJRMA.  She has served on several non-for-profit and church boards with a passion for organizations working to eliminate poverty from the inside out. She currently serves on the Southern Nazarene University Foundation Board and is an honorary board member with the Victory Mission in Springfield, Missouri.

 

Greg Polcer was named Executive Vice President, Global Supply Chain for The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. in July 2008.  Mr. Polcer oversees the Company’s end-to-end supply chain including procurement, manufacturing, planning, quality assurance, and logistics.  He reports to President and Chief Operating Officer Fabrizio Freda and is a member of the Executive Committee.

Mr. Polcer is a business executive with more than 30 years of increasing and varying responsibilities in the Americas and globally. Most recently he was Senior Vice President of Supply Chain at Unilever. During his tenure there, Mr. Polcer led the development of a corporate-wide initiative for defining the processes, project plan and delivery of a center-led procurement capability.  In this role, Mr. Polcer was successful in delivering a sustainable cost and overall long term value benefit.  Prior to his time with Unilever, Mr. Polcer worked with Playtex Inc. and J.C. Penney in various business roles.

Mr. Polcer is a seasoned business leader who prides himself on his team-based orientation, with an ability to create and develop strong teams.  Throughout his career, Mr. Polcer has demonstrated a commitment to leading and improving global supply chain capabilities.  With a unique combination of supply chain, finance, and category management experience Mr. Polcer is focused on continuing to increase efficiencies and enhance its operating effectiveness at the Company.

Mr. Polcer earned his Master of Business Administration degree from St. John’s University and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Dowling College.  He lives in New York with his wife Maureen.

 

Caitlin leads the NAVTEQ Media Solutions east coast sales team for LocationPoint mobile and navigation advertising products. In this role, her key responsibilities include educating the marketplace on the benefits of location aware advertising solutions on both the client and agency sides of the business.  Prior to NAVTEQ, Caitlin sold advertising for top-named media giants including Ziff Davis, Yahoo, Univision Interactive, and Nokia Interactive.  Caitlin holds a B.A. in English from Boston College. 

 

Dawn Robertson is the CEO of Avenue, a specialty retailer of plus-size women’s fashion apparel, footwear and accessories (450 Avenue stores nationwide and Avenue.com).

Before joining Avenue, Dawn served as President of Sean John, leading all aspects of this entrepreneurial company founded by Sean,”Diddy”, Combs.  Prior to this, she was President of Old Navy, responsible for all areas of the business including merchandise, design, marketing, stores, new brand positioning and renewed store concept.  Also, Dawn was Managing Director of Myer Stores (Australia), President of Federated Direct, EVP of Macys Merchandising and CEO of McRae’s (division of Sak’s Incorporated).

Dawn has extensive experience managing numerous product categories and overseeing the direct channel. With 30+ years in the retailing industry, she is a self-motivated, results-oriented professional who promotes teamwork and accountability.

Dawn received her BS in Fashion Merchandising from Auburn University.

 

Vincent A. Scarfone was appointed our Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Administration in September 2006. Prior to joining Duane Reade, Mr. Scarfone served as Vice President—Global Human Resources for Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services from February 2005 to June 2006. From 1984 to 2004, Mr. Scarfone worked for Toys “R” Us Inc., holding several senior human resource positions including, from 2002 to 2004, Vice President of Human Resources, International Division.

 

Jan-Patrick Schmitz was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Montblanc North America in August 2003. Mr. Schmitz oversees the North American business, including sales and marketing, a retail network of 37 boutiques, and a wholesale distribution of 850 points of sale, including 100 Shop-in-Shops. 

Mr. Schmitz’s vision has taken Montblanc to new heights in the luxury market. A charismatic individual with a sixth sense for innovation, he has sponsored projects such as “The 24-Hour Plays” on Broadway, as well as partnering with and supporting The Juilliard School with their numerous events and programs. He has expanded Montblanc’s commitment to Culture and the Arts through the Foundation d’Enterprise Montblanc de la Culture, which supports and recognizes modern-day art patrons who give their time, energy, and resources to support cultural programs. Mr. Schmitz is also dedicated to supporting Montblanc’s on-going efforts against global illiteracy through The Signature for Good initiative with UNICEF. 

He has been instrumental in positioning and shepherding Montblanc into the 21st century and elevating it from a household name, known for its dominance in the world of fine writing instruments, to a luxury brand. The company expanded into fine time pieces and jewelry and has built a strong female clientele who recognizes the cache of Montblanc. In 2007, the brand introduced the new Haute Joaillerie collection which includes the world’s most precious Montblanc star cut diamond necklace. In 2008, with the Nicolas Rieussec collection, Montblanc launched its first own movement, thereby entering the world of true watch making. In addition, with the acquisition of Villeret 1858, Montblanc has an exclusive position in the world of Haute Horlogerie. 

Mr. Schmitz joined Montblanc in 1994. He was appointed Director of the International Executive Committee in 2002. Before his promotion to the U.S. Market, he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Montblanc Japan, where he led the Montblanc subsidiary to six impressive years of growth. 

Mr. Schmitz holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Southern Illinois University and is a Member of Beta Gamma Sigma. His Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) is from the International Business School in Lippstadt, Germany. He serves on the Board of Directors of Jewelers for Children as well as other non-profit organizations. 

 

Richard W. Schurig, CPA, has been a partner with J.H. Cohn since 1995.  He is the Retail and Consumer Products Industry Practice Director and a member of the Firm’s Private Equity Services Practice. 

For over 30 years, Richard has provided a wide variety of services and solutions to both public and private retailers and consumer product companies.  He has also performed client advocacy services and worked with several businesses to improve their internal controls and corporate governance.  Richard has been a presenter at retail conferences and hosts retail and consumer products financial executive seminars.  He has been instrumental in the development and expansion of Cohn-UIC; a J.H. Cohn affiliated company that provides risk management consulting.  Through his work with Cohn-UIC, Richard has helped save clients a significant amount in property and casualty insurance premiums.  Additionally, Richard has extensive experience in working with portfolio companies of private equity firms. 

Richard began his career with an international accounting firm in 1974 until he joined retailer Ormond Shops, Inc. as Director of Financial Planning.  Richard was a founder and partner at a regional accounting firm from 1980 to 1991, which later merged with J.H. Cohn.

Richard graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.  He is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the National Retail Federation.  He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in New Jersey and New York.  He has also served on the Executive Management Committee for J.H. Cohn and on the Board of Directors of a number of for-profit companies.

 

Prior to co-founding The Retail Tracker, Marni was a Director in equity research at Merrill Lynch. She is known for her keen industry insights, pulse on fashion trends and ability to interpret these trends as they relate to the companies under her coverage. These insights also provide her the basis determining opportunity and upcoming trends in retailing as well as the stock market.   During her 11 years at Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers she covered Apparel, Footwear and the Specialty Retail sectors.  Marni also worked for five years in the apparel industry.  As a Vice President of sales for 525...made in America, Marni developed and grew their Home Furnishings business.  Marni was also a senior account executive at Fenn, Wright and Manson, a women’s and men’s clothing concern.  Marni received an M.B.A from the New York University Stern School of Business and received a B.S. from the University of Michigan.

 

Sherwin Socaransky has over 20 years of retail strategy, operations and technology experience. He has extensive experience within trade, as a Big 5 consultant and delivery executive for several leading technology vendors.

Sherwin is currently Vice President of Merchandising and Store Systems at New York and Company – a leading retailer of women’s apparel. Over the past several years Sherwin has lead the startup of an e-commerce channel, store technology transformation, CRM initiatives and supported several company strategic initiatives including foreign licensing/sales and new brand launches.

Prior to joining New York and Company, Sherwin was Vice President of Delivery Services at CRS Retail (acquired by Epicor). Sherwin was also one of the early executives at Found, Inc., a real-time inventory and order management company. Sherwin has also worked for SAP (joint venture with Intel), STS Systems (now Epicor) and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

 

Birame Sock is the Founder and CEO of Third Solutions, Inc. In 2002, Birame founded Musicphone, Inc., a Wireless Entertainment company and successfully led Musicphone through its acquisition in July 2007 by Gracenote, Inc., a recognized California-based Digital Media company which was subsequently acquired by Sony Corporation. Musicphone was the first to launch a Wireless Music Recognition service called MusicID with AT&T Wireless and Virgin Mobile USA in 2005. In 2005, Birame served on the Board of CKX (NASDAQ: CKXE) as an Independent Director and Audit Committee Member. Birame also served as the Digital Media Strategist for CKX working in the ownership, development and commercial utilization of entertainment content covering major brands such as Elvis Presley, American Idol and Muhammad Ali. As a result of her successes as an entrepreneur with a strong technology background and focus on digital technologies and consumer applications, Birame has appeared on CNBC and Good Morning America, has spoken at many leading digital entertainment events and has been quoted in several articles in the New York Times, Billboard Magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle. Prior to Musicphone, Birame was Vice President at SetNet Corporation, a Wireless Messaging company and worked as a Senior Project Manager for Nortel Networks, Inc.

 

Dana Telsey is the CEO and Chief Research Officer of Telsey Advisory Group, which she founded in 2006. With 120 companies under coverage, including apparel manufacturers, casino operators, casual dining restaurants, children and teen retailers, consumer electronics, department stores, discounters, fast casual and specialty restaurants, gaming technology, home furnishings, lodging, luxury goods, off-price retailers, quick service restaurants, specialty apparel retailers, sporting goods, and supermarkets, Telsey Advisory Group has grown to be a leading independent equity research and consulting firm, focusing on the consumer space.

Ms. Telsey has followed over 70 companies during her 24-year career and was the only U.S. based analyst to provide complete analysis of the European luxury goods sector. From 1994 to 2006, Ms. Telsey was at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. covering the retail sector, most recently as a Senior Managing Director. Prior to working at Bear Stearns, Ms. Telsey was the Retail Analyst at C.J. Lawrence and Vice President of the Baron Asset Fund at Baron Capital, Inc.

Ms. Telsey is a thirteen-year member of Institutional Investor magazine’s “All-America Research Team” where she was ranked the Number One Specialty Stores analyst for 7 consecutive years through 2005. In 2009, Ms. Telsey was ranked the Number One Specialty Stores analyst and Number One Broadlines & Department Stores analyst by Institutional Investor magazine’s “All-America Independent Research Team.”

She has appeared as a special guest on such programs as Wall Street Week, ABC News, The NBC Evening News and The Today Show and is a regular guest analyst on both CNN and CNBC. Ms. Telsey is a frequent contributor to Luxury Briefing, the leading luxury goods industry publication, and WGSN (Worth Global Style Network), an online research, trend analysis and news service for the fashion and style industries.

Ms. Telsey graduated from Hobart-William Smith Colleges with a B.A. degree in History and Spanish and received her M.B.A from Fordham University. She holds the Series 7, 24, 63, 66, 86, and 87 Licenses.

 

In 2007, Robert T. Wallstrom became President of Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH.  In this role, he developed OFF 5TH’s new strategic plan and created an innovative prototype store design.  Wallstrom launched OFF 5TH’s new store growth initiative, resulting in the opening of eleven new stores through the summer of 2010, with three more scheduled openings in fall 2010. 

From 2002 until 2007, Wallstrom was Group Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York City, the Company’s largest volume store.  Wallstrom joined Saks in 1995 as Assistant General Manager, Merchandising of the Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills.  In 1997, he was appointed General Manager of Saks Fifth Avenue San Antonio and then Vice President in 1999.  In 2000, under Wallstrom’s leadership, the San Antonio store won the Chairman’s Award.  In 2001, he was appointed Vice President, General Manager of the Houston Galleria Saks Fifth Avenue location and led his team to win the 2001 Flagship Chairman’s Award.  

Wallstrom began his retailing career in 1983 at Robinson’s in Woodland Hills (CA) and held various store positions for Robinson’s, Bullock’s and Macy’s.  He held the position of Store Manager for three years for Bullock’s/Macy’s before joining Saks Fifth Avenue in 1995.

Wallstrom is a member of the Saks Fifth Avenue Executive Committee and serves on the LIM Fashion Education Foundation Board of Directors.  Wallstrom received his B.S. in Business Administration and Accounting from San Diego State University and has served on various community and church boards.  He resides with his wife Laura and two children, Andrei and Sophia, in Westport, Connecticut.