Helayne Angelus
Principal
Kalypso

Helayne Angelus is the former Vice President of Customer Business Development Global Diversity with Procter and Gamble and immediate past president of the Network of Executive Women. Helayne is harnessing her extensive global experience and passion for creating a competitive advantage through diverse, high performing teams. She is a principal with Kalypso, a professional services firm dedicated to bringing innovation to life. Helayne is a graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University and began her sales career with Procter & Gamble in Boston. 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. In 1992, Helayne was transferred to Caracas, Venezuela, where she was director of customer business development until 1998. Her general management responsibilities have included leading P&G’s Kmart/Sears, wholesale, military, and direct technology businesses. Her local and national activities include the President’s Circle and alumnae regional leader for Barnard College. She was a P&G leader in fundraising efforts for the Fine Arts Fund of Cincinnati from 1999 to 2005 and was a founding member of the Network of Executive Women. Helayne is married to Michael Friedman and has two grown children, Mariel and Zach.

Marcello Bottoli
Former Chief Executive Officer
Samsonite

Italian Doctorate degree in Business Administration, Bocconi University- Milano- Italy. Prior to his time as CEO of Samsonite Corporation, Bottoli served as Chairman & CEO of Louis Vuitton Malletier. He additionally held various positions in the Benckiser Corporation culminating in the position of Executive Vice President, Member of Executive Committee and Management Board. Bottoli has also served as a Senior Consultant at the Boston Consulting Group in both their Paris and Milan offices, and as a Brand Manager for The Proctor & Gamble Company in France and the US. Throughout his almost 30 year career in retail and brand management, Bottoli has overseen the expansion and success of two of the world’s leading luxury brands. Botolli is currently a non executive Director at IFF (International Flavour & Fragrances), True Religion and Ratti, the leading provider of printed fabrics to the fashion industry.

Bill Fairfield
Chief Executive Officer
infoGROUP

Mr. Bill Fairfield was named Chief Executive Officer of infoGROUP Inc. (NASDAQ:IUSA) in August 2008. Prior to accepting the CEO position, Mr. Fairfield had served as a Director of the Company since November 2005 and as Chairman of the Board since July 16, 2008.

infoGROUP is the leading provider of business and consumer databases for sales leads & mailing lists, database marketing services, data processing services and sales and marketing solutions. infoGROUP has the most comprehensive data in the industry, and is the only company to own 12 proprietary databases under one roof. The infoGROUP database powers the directory services of the top Internet trafficgenerating sites. Nearly 4 million customers use infoGROUP’s products and services to find new customers, grow their sales, and for other direct marketing, telemarketing, customer analysis and credit reference purposes. infoGROUP headquarters are located in Omaha, Nebraska.

Prior to joining infoGROUP, Mr. Fairfield served as Chairman of DreamField Inc., a company focused on economic development of the Mid-Plains region through management services and venture capital assistance. He currently serves on the Board of Directors and as Chair of the Audit Committee of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE), a retailer of casual apparel, footwear and accessories for young men and women. From 2002 to 2004, Mr. Fairfield was the Executive Vice President of Sitel Corporation, a global provider of outsourced customer support services based in Omaha, Nebraska, and from 1991 to 2000, Mr. Fairfield was President and Chief Executive Officer of Inacom Corp., an Omaha-based technology management services company. Prior to 1991, Mr. Fairfield was Chief Executive Officer of Valcom, the predecessor company to Inacom Corp.

Mr. Fairfield holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Bradley University and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Graduate School of Business.

Steve Fishman
Chairman, CEO, and President
Big Lots

Steve Fishman is Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Big Lots, Inc., a Fortune 500 retail corporation with annual revenues exceeding $4.6 billion. As the nation’s largest broadline closeout retailer, Big Lots offers consumers a wide range of bargain-priced merchandise, including brand-name closeouts, seasonal products, consumables, and furniture.

Fishman joined Big Lots in July 2005. He oversees a retail enterprise with over 1,340 stores and more than 38,000 associates across the United States. A 35-year veteran of the retail industry, Fishman provides the strategic direction for Big Lots’ long-term growth, which includes building the company’s buying organization, increasing brand recognition, and maximizing earnings potential.

His extensive retail experience, financial expertise, and merchandising skills positioned him for his post. Before Big Lots, he served as CEO/president and chief restructuring officer of Rhodes Furniture, leading the national retailer through a successful reorganization to improve operating performance.

Prior to Rhodes, Fishman was the Chairman and CEO of Frank’s Nursery & Crafts, a lawn and garden specialty retailer, where he was recruited to accomplish similar repositioning objectives. Under his leadership, Frank’s dramatically improved profitability, emerged from bankruptcy, and completed a public offering in less than a year.

From 1993 to 1999, Fishman served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pamida, formerly a publicly held general merchandise discount retailer. During his tenure, Pamida developed a strategy to compete in an increasingly challenging retail environment, grew sales and profit, and delivered significant returns for shareholders. In 1999, Pamida was acquired by ShopKo Stores.

Fishman’s experience also includes senior executive merchandising positions with Federated Department Stores and May Company. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in business administration from Columbia College.

Mindy Grossman
CEO
HSNi

A 32-year veteran of the retail and apparel industries, Mindy Grossman is Chief Executive Officer of HSN, Inc. (HSNi, formerly IAC Retailing) and a member of the Company’s Board of Directors. In this capacity Ms. Grossman oversees a $2.8 billion dollar retail portfolio which includes: HSN, a leading interactive lifestyle network and retail destination that offers a curated assortment of exclusive products combined with top brand names; HSN.com, a top 10 trafficked e-commerce site that offers a differentiated e-commerce experience by leveraging content, community and commerce; and Cornerstone Brands, a dynamic, multi-channel retailer of lifestyle brands including Ballard Designs, Frontgate, Garnet Hill, Grandin Road, Improvements, Smith+Noble, Territory Ahead and Travelsmith. Prior to taking the company public, Ms. Grossman had been Chief Executive Officer of IAC Retailing since May 2006.

Ms. Grossman joined IAC from Nike, Inc. where she served as Global Vice-President and head of Nike’s $4 billion apparel business from 2000 to 2006. In addition, she was responsible for the development and growth of Nike’s global women’s business and served as Co-chair of their Women’s Leadership Council.

Prior to Nike, Ms. Grossman served as President and CEO of Polo Jeans Company from 1995 to 2000. She was Vice-President of New Business Development at Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation from 1994 to 1995 and President of Chaps Ralph Lauren and Senior Vice-President of Menswear for Warnaco, Inc. from 1991 to 1994. She has also held senior positions at Tommy Hilfiger and Oxford Industries and began her career in 1977 in the menswear industry.

In 2009 Ms. Grossman was ranked one of the world’s 100 most powerful women by Forbes magazine and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Retail Federation, as well as the East Harlem School at Exodus House in New York. She is the Chairperson of the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Executive Women in Fashion Advisory Board, and is also a member of the Advisory Board of the J. Baker School of Retail at the Wharton School of Business.

Julie Hamilton
President of the Global Walmart Team
Coca-Cola North America

Julie M. Hamilton, President Global Wal-Mart Group, is responsible for leading Coca-Cola’s relationship with Wal-Mart, the Company's largest customer representing $4.0 Billion in annual sales and 850 million unit cases.

Julie joined The Coca-Cola Company in 1996 and has held a variety of sales, marketing and operational positions including Group Vice President North America Walmart Team, Vice President Global Customer Development, Group Director for Global On-Premise Customers, Director of Marketing in the North America Retail Division, Group Manager for the Worldwide Marketing Partnership with Blockbuster and Brand Development Manager of Non-Carbonated Beverages.

Before joining Coca-Cola, Julie worked for Anheuser-Busch where she held positions in marketing and domestic/international beverage sales.

Julie grew up in Genoa, Italy, Seattle and St. Louis. She attended high school in LeMans, France, studied at Vanderbilt University and London’s Imperial College of Science & Economics and graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism.

Currently, Julie serves on the boards of the Network of Executive Women in Retail, Children’s Miracle Network and SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise). In 2008, she was named as a "Top Women in Grocery" by Progressive Grocer Magazine & Nielsen. As a champion of women in business, she served as President of the Coca-Cola Women’s Forum from 2005-2007 and continues to mentors fellow associates and youth in the community.

She and her husband John currently reside in Atlanta, GA and have a son, Shawn.

Linda Heasley
President & CEO
The Limited

Linda Heasley is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Limited, which has been a privately held company of Sun Capital Partners since August 3, 2007.

In her two-and-a-half years with The Limited, Ms. Heasley has revamped the stores’ product lines; introduced a new positioning for a new customer; reorganized processes and people at headquarters and in the field; launched an e-commerce site; commissioned a new store design; and come close to returning The Limited to profitability for the first time in 16 years.

Immediately prior to joining The Limited, Ms. Heasley held a number of positions at Limited Brands Inc., both at the enterprise and brand levels. Earlier, she was a senior executive with Timberland and CVS. During her 10 years with CVS, she helped the chain double its size and grow from a regional to a national organization.

Ms. Heasley began her career in corporate development with American Airlines and also worked in mergers and acquisitions at a merchant bank.

A native of Ohio, Ms. Heasley earned a masters in business administration from the John Anderson School of Management at UCLA and her bachelor of arts from Harvard University.

John D. Howard
Chief Executive Officer
Irving Place Capital

John D. Howard is CEO of Irving Place Capital, formerly known as Bear Stearns Merchant Banking (“BSMB”). Mr. Howard founded the firm in 1997. Irving Place Capital invests private equity capital for control or substantial minority ownership in middle-market companies and focuses on retail and consumer goods companies as well as financial services companies, but also has made investments and dedicated efforts in other old economy and services sectors, including packaging, energy, healthcare services, industrial and transportation companies. The firm seeks to partner with exceptional management teams and entrepreneurs, and invests in a variety of transaction structures, including management buyouts, growth capital financings, corporate divestitures and industry consolidations, and recapitalizations and other ownership liquidity situations. Irving Place Capital has approximately $4.4 billion in equity under management, and its current $2.7 billion Fund III raised in 2006 has $1.5 billion of equity available for investment. To date, the firm has made 68 investments and has a highly successful track record of investing in retail and consumer companies, including Aeropostale, New York & Company, Seven for All Mankind, Stuart Weitzman, Reddy Ice and The Vitamin Shoppe. In all of these businesses, Irving Place Capital investment and operating professionals have been intimately involved in partnering with management teams to roll-out new stores, identify and integrate acquisitions, and execute other strategic and operational initiatives. Given its substantial branded consumer/retail investing experience, the firm has an in-depth understanding of the issues, opportunities and challenges that companies in these industries face.

Mr. Howard has been a principal in the private equity business for more than 25 years. Prior to founding Irving Place Capital, Mr. Howard was co-CEO of Vestar Capital Partners. From 1985 to 1990, Mr. Howard served as a Senior Vice President and Partner of Wesray Capital Corporation, then one of the foremost private equity sponsors and a pioneer in the leveraged buyout business. He was responsible for Wesray’s investments in ten portfolio companies, including: Simmons Bedding, Wilson Sporting Goods, and Avis.

Mr. Howard is a director of Aeropostale, Multi Packaging Solutions, New York & Company, Stuart Weitzman, Universal Hospital Services and Vitamin Shoppe. Throughout his career, he has served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committees of more than 30 companies. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Yale School of Management as well as on the Board of Trustees of Mt. Sinai Hospital.

Mr. Howard holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a BA from Trinity College.

Paul Hurley
Founder and CEO
ideeli Inc.

Paul Hurley, Founder and CEO of ideeli™, the first online shopping community in the US, has more than 20 years’ experience solving the problem at the crux of brand marketing today: How to use technology to connect with and influence the behavior of large numbers of customers and prospects? In a succession of entrepreneurial companies, beginning in 1989, Hurley has united service delivery with marketing and proved that integrated advertising can be performed in a manner benefiting both customer and brand. Hurley’s first company, Cypress Research Corporation, combined e-commerce with embedded upgrade and commerce technology years in advance of the Internet. Cypress Shopper, a component of the company’s MegaPhone software for Macs and PCs, shipped over 10 million copies in 23 countries. Hurley’s second company, Aveo, invented the now-pervasive concept of pre-emptive technical support; its products were adopted by Hewlett Packard, Gateway, Dell, Kensington and Logitech. Hurley’s third company, Alset, Inc., has helped leading brands such as Best Buy and Micro Warehouse use the Internet to simultaneously improve service and marketing. Paul Hurley is co-inventor for two US patents. He graduated from Yale College and is a Henry Crown Fellow of The Aspen Institute.

Cameron Jones
Vice President, R&D Information Management and Information Technology
Unilever

Cameron graduated from Strathclyde University with a First class Honours degree and PhD. He joined Unilever as a Management Trainee, where he worked in different roles across R&D, Marketing and Supply Chain after which he moved to his first management position as the Technical Brand Manager for Deodorants in Leeds (UK). Since then he has held various positions in R&D across the globe, including - Deo Development Mgr (Japan), where he built a new team and capability, Operations Director to SVP R&D (Head Office) and Head of Home & Personal Care Packaging (Chicago). As of January 2009, Cameron has taken on a new role (VP R&D IM & IT) which has responsibilities across both Unilever Divisions (Home & Personal Care and Foods Divisions). In summary, in his 17 years in Unilever he has experienced and delivered in various Local, Regional and Global roles across 3 continents (Europe, Asia and North America) in the R&D funtion.

Suzanne Kapner
Writer
Fortune Magazine

Suzanne Kapner writes about retailing and consumer related issues for Fortune magazine. Prior to joining Fortune in 2008, Suzanne spent four years with The New York Post. From 2000 to 2003, Suzanne lived in London, where she worked for The New York Times covering a variety of international business issues. She got her start in business journalism at TheStreet.com, an online financial publication, where she wrote a column called “The Mall Rat.” Suzanne is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and currently resides in Manhattan.

Jim Keyes
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Blockbuster Inc.

James W. Keyes is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Blockbuster Inc. (NYSE: BBI, BBI.B), one of the world's leading providers of in-home movie and game entertainment with reported worldwide revenues of more than $5.5 billion in 2007 and more than 7,500 stores throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia.

A 21-year veteran of 7-Eleven Inc., the world's largest chain of convenience stores, Keyes served as its president and CEO from 2000 until 2005. Under his leadership, the company experienced record sales and profits and implemented new retail systems technology that improved product assortment decisions in every store. He also ushered in a new era for 7-Eleven through the introduction of a host of new electronic services.

Prior to serving as president and CEO, Keyes held a variety of positions at 7-Eleven, including Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Keyes retired from 7-Eleven upon the sale of the company in 2005.

Keyes graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelors degree from the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts and earned an MBA from Columbia University.

Keyes serves on numerous civic boards, including the national board of governors of the American Red Cross, the Dallas Center for Performing Arts, The Dallas Symphony Association, the Cooper Institute, the SMU/Cox School of Business and the Dallas Education Foundation. A recipient of the Horatio Alger Award in 2005 and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2008, Keyes was also the founder of the Education is Freedom foundation, which provides college scholarships for hard-working young students.

William P. Lauder
Chief Executive Officer
The Estée Lauder Companies

William P. Lauder is Chief Executive Officer of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. The Company is one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products, with annual sales of $7.9 billion in fiscal 2008. Its products are sold in more than 140 countries and territories under 29 well-recognized brand names.

From July 2004 to March 2008, Mr. Lauder held the position of President and Chief Executive Officer, The Estée Lauder Companies. Previously, he served as Chief Operating Officer, responsible for the oversight of all of the Company’s Global Operations, including Manufacturing, Research & Development and Human Resources. In that role, he also oversaw nine of the Company’s specialty brands, including Prescriptives, Aveda and Bobbi Brown, as well as Retail Store Operations and all activities for the Company’s international business. Earlier, Mr. Lauder held several other senior executive positions, led the global businesses for Clinique and Origins and oversaw the Company’s freestanding stores and Internet businesses.

Mr. Lauder has earned many brand and industry distinctions. Under his leadership, Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion became the best-selling prestige skin care product in U.S. department stores and Clinique launched its first anti-aging product, Stop Signs Visible Anti-Aging Serum, which won the Cosmetic Executive Women Award for “Best Skin Care Product in Limited Distribution” in 2000. Mr. Lauder led the development of the Origins brand and helped create its innovative store-within-a-store concept.

He joined The Estée Lauder Companies in 1986 as Regional Marketing Director of Clinique U.S.A. in the New York Metro area. Prior to joining The Estée Lauder Companies, he completed Macy’s executive training program in New York City and became Associate Merchandising Manager of the New York Division/Dallas store at the time of its opening in September 1985.

Mr. Lauder is on the Boards of Directors of The Estée Lauder Companies, The University of Pennsylvania, The Fresh Air Fund and The 92nd Street Y. He is on the Board of Trustees of The Trinity School in New York City. A graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, he studied at the University of Grenoble in France. An avid golfer, skier, tennis player and hiker, he lives in New York City with his wife and children. He is a grandson of Mrs. Estée Lauder, the Company's founder.

Jon Luther
Executive Chairman
Dunkin' Brands

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. Luther 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 and Johnson & Wales University. 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.

Pattiann McAdams
Executive Director, Online Division
Avon Products

Pattiann is currently the General Manager Online Division, overseeing the North America Internet Business Unit within the U.S. Marketing Division of Avon Products, Inc.

Pattiann joined the Internet division for Avon in May 2000 as Director, Launch of New Business Solutions. With her staff of 100, Pattiann implemented one of Avon’s key growth strategies, the rollout of “YourAvon.com”, enabling over 65% of U.S. Representatives to manage and build their businesses successfully online.

Additionally, Pattiann helped launch Avon’s 2001 new product initiative, Health & Wellness, incorporating a new segment of products online, within the online site. She also launched an interactive Wellness Profile to help maximize the web medium as a selling tool for the line.

In 2001, Pattiann was then reassigned to transition the Direct Mail business unit of AVON, which at the time had a minimal web presence, to an Internet B-C business unit. She carefully crafted a strategy that would “virtually” have no channel conflict with the Core Representative, and leverage all of the company’s assets, including its biggest asset- the AVON Brand. The Internet has become an incremental sales channel for AVON Products. Under her leadership in just three years, AVON has transformed the direct selling business model, leveraging the online channel for Multichannel selling.

Pattiann’s current role as General Manager encompasses the entire management of online business. She is responsible for all business functions/decisions including creative, merchandising, marketing, technical, database analysis, customer service and Internet fulfillment.

In 2006, the online store expanded and integrated into AVON’s core business channel, empowering the AVON sales force to have a choice of selling utilizing personalized AVON online store fronts for all Representatives wishing to sell online and offline. Today, 180,000 AVON Representatives are enrolled as eRepresentatives, and they are utilizing emarketing tools as well as traditional face to face marketing to drive the AVONs earnings opportunity. In 2009, she was tasked with adding online recruiting as a key online business driver. Online leads will grow 100% over last year and have proven to be a very productive Representative for Representative for AVON with higher activities rates than the traditional Representative.

As AVON expands its strategy globally, Pattiann will play a role as the lead market expert in helping the global leaders within AVON drive this online transformation. She interfaces with all market leaders in order to effectively leverage U.S. Internet initiatives and all of its processes.

Prior to joining Avon Products, Pattiann was Vice President for PC Flowers.com for 4 1/2 years, responsible for all the technical business decisions of their Internet business. When Fingerhut Corporation acquired PC Flowers, Pattiann managed the technical integration of all backend fulfillment systems. Similarly, Pattiann led the integration of all marketing/merchandising functions when Federated’s acquired Fingerhut.

Aili McConnon
Staff Editor
BusinessWeek

Aili McConnon is a staff editor at BusinessWeek, where she writes about retail, innovation, philanthropy, management, health, and the Web. She has previously written for The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, and is the co-editor of the anthology Blooming Through the Ashes. McConnon is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Cambridge, where she was a Commonwealth Scholar. She also received a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University. In 2007, she won two Webby Awards.

Jeffrey McCracken
Bankruptcy Reporter
The Wall Street Journal

Jeffrey McCracken is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal covering mergers and acquisitions, a position he has held since July. Prior to that, he spent nearly two years covering bankruptcy and distressed companies for the Journal. Previously, he was a Journal reporter based in Detroit covering Ford, Delphi and the United Auto Workers since 2005.

Prior to joining the Journal, Mr. McCracken was an automotive reporter for the Detroit Free Press since 2000. He covered Ford, GM, Chrysler, auto suppliers and the UAW. Mr. McCracken also held positions with Crain’s Detroit Business and The Macomb Daily in Mt. Clemens, MI.

Mr. McCracken received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from Wayne State University in Detroit and a law degree from Wayne State University Law School. He currently resides with his wife and 2 children in Edgewater, New Jersey.

John McDonnell
Chief Operating Officer
Patrón Spirits International A.G.

John McDonnell was appointed to his current position at Patrón Spirits in January 2005 after several years overseeing international sales and marketing efforts at Joseph E. Seagram & Sons in various positions. As Chief Operating Officer/Executive Vice President, McDonnell is responsible for management of day-to-day activities of the corporation; monitoring the daily operations of the company and reporting to the Chief Executive Officer. Upon taking this role, McDonnell has helped the company grow from 340,000 cases when he started, to 1.7 million cases in 2008. He has also overseen international growth into almost 100 countries and islands worldwide, and recently helped close the company's acquisition of an ultra-premium vodka, Ultimat.

Tom Murry
President & Chief Executive Officer
Calvin Klein, Inc.

Tom Murry is one of the leading executives in the designer fashion industry. Mr. Murry is President and Chief Executive Officer of Calvin Klein, Inc. He directs day-to-day operations of one of the worlds largest and most successful designer fashion companies, a wholly owned subsidiary of Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation, since February 2003.

Mr. Murry concentrates on business strategy, marketing and sales development for all Calvin Klein product lines under the Calvin Klein Collection, ck Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein and Calvin Klein Jeans brands.

Mr. Murry arrived at Calvin Klein, Inc., in 1996, initially as President of the cK business in the United States. He quickly broadened his scope, providing counsel and support to licensees and joint-venture partners connected to the cK business worldwide. In 1998, he assumed responsibility for the Calvin Klein Collection for women, including apparel and accessories, in 1999 Mr. Murry was promoted to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer of Calvin Klein, Inc., and in 2008 he was elevated to President and Chief Executive Officer of Calvin Klein, Inc.

Prior to joining Calvin Klein, Inc., Mr. Murry spent six years as Corporate President, Tahari, Ltd., a leading women's apparel manufacturer in the United States – and currently serves on the board of UNITE (Union of Needletrades, Industrial & Textile Employees), CK Jeanswear Europe S.p.A, CK Jeanswear N.V., and CK Watch and Jewelry Co., Ltd.

Mr. Murry earned a B.S. from Oklahoma State University with a concentration in Marketing. He and his wife Lynda reside in New York and Florida.

Terrie O’Hanlon
Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer
Manhattan Associates, Inc.

Terrie O'Hanlon serves as Manhattan Associates' senior vice president and chief marketing officer. Ms. O'Hanlon oversees global marketing, brand strategy, corporate and industry communications, and demand generation for the company. Ms. O'Hanlon has more than 20 years of experience marketing software, hardware and services to businesses and consumers in the technology industry. She has helped to build brands and market share through executive marketing positions at companies such as WebMD, CheckFree, Per-Se Technologies and Dun & Bradstreet Software. Ms. O'Hanlon also has developed marketing and communications strategies for companies such as Nokia, IBM, Hitachi, Scientific-Atlanta, I4 Commerce and Tenrox through management positions at leading technology marketing agencies. Ms. O'Hanlon holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from the University of Florida, where she was honored as valedictorian.

Scott Painter
CEO and Founder, Zag
and
CEO and Founder, TrueCar

Just named the 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Technology Council of Southern California, Scott Painter is passionate about cars, direct-to-consumer businesses and technology – and his expertise lies where those three converge. He’s drawn to big, game-changing ideas that solve big problems or make an experience better. He has raised hundreds of millions in venture capital for dozens of companies over the past 15 years, pushing changes in auto retailing that bring new-car pricing into the open – and enable the industry to finally function as a free market.

Painter is founder and CEO of Zag (www.zag.com), a technology and services company that has created a better way to buy a car. Zag operates a robust auto shopping, research and pricing technology platform that saves buyers money by concentrating group buying power, while providing a better car buying experience by connecting buyers with select dealers that provide great upfront pricing and a no-hassle delivery process.

In 2008, Painter took the next step toward his goal of total pricing transparency by launching TrueCar (www.truecar.com), the fresh voice in new car pricing which shows car buyers and dealers what people actually paid for every make, model and trim level of every car in every market. As both founder and CEO of TrueCar, this new super crunching data driven company aggregates data from dozens of proprietary and exclusive sources to cover 25% of all individual US retail transactions which includes more than 170,000 per month.

Providing more than averages estimates and MSRP, the TrueCar Price Report offers guidance beyond “average price paid” by presenting a bell curve with actual data on what is a good price, a great price and over-priced. In a commodity market, which is what today’s new car market has become, TrueCar goes beyond speculation and estimates by offering objective, independent and unbiased data. TrueCar brings truth and transparency to the process, allowing buyers and dealers to see exactly what is being paid for a particular car in their area, and agree on a great price.

In 1998, Painter founded CarsDirect.com, leading to the first generation of online car sites, and propelled the world’s major automotive manufacturers and their franchised dealers to embrace the Internet. Under Painter’s leadership, CarsDirect.com secured more than $350 million in funding and played a principal role in the transformation of the automotive retail industry into one driven by consumer expectations, customer service and trust.

Painter attended the West Point United States Military Academy, where he studied political science and systems engineering. Painter also studied economics at the University of California at Berkeley.

Paul Possinger
Partner
Proskauer Rose

Paul Possinger is a partner in Proskauer’s Bankruptcy and Restructuring Group who focuses his practice on corporate reorganization, creditors’ rights, and bankruptcy matters. Paul represents distressed companies, senior secured, second lien and mezzanine lenders and official creditor and equity committees in debt restructuring and reorganization, workouts, asset and going-concern sales, and litigation. He has acted as lead counsel to distressed borrowers, Chapter 11 debtors, official creditor and equity committees, boards of directors and other fiduciaries, hedge funds and fund investors, lenders, and repurchase counterparties in a variety of bankruptcy and insolvency matters. Such representations have involved negotiation and confirmation of plans of reorganization, prepackaged and prearranged bankruptcies, out- of-court debt-for-equity exchanges, debtor-in-possession financing and cash collateral arrangements and disputes, hedge fund redemption disputes and hedge fund insolvencies, asset divestitures under section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code, foreclosures under Article 9 of the UCC, orderly liquidations, preference and fraudulent conveyance litigation, distressed debt trading, and other distressed situations. He also has represented warehouse and repurchase lenders and subprime mortgage investors in a variety of insolvency matters relating to the recent subprime lending and financial market crises. He has represented distressed companies across a broad range of industries, including retail, media, manufacturing, finance (including subprime and warehouse lending), automotive and health care.

Karen Sadick
Executive Vice President of Merchandising
Aerosoles

Karen Sadick joined Aerosoles in late 2000 to head up the Merchandising for the Retail division of the company and position the division for growth, as well as bring inovation and modernity to the company's assortment. Aerosoles is a leading Women's Shoe manufacturere started in 1987 by Jules Schneider to offer Women an option in comfortable footwear. In 2003 she added responsibility for the Merchandising leadership for the Direct Division. She has successfully developed the brand to represent the core values of the company in product assortment that represents great style; good value and exceptional comfort yet, expanding the appeal to a broader age range of women. The company's divisions have grown substantially in sales volume and profitability under her direction. Continued expansion in the Retail and Direct divisions offer opportunity to get the message of the brand and its varied assortment out to more consumers.

Before joining Aerosoles, she started and ran a Home Accessories Company named Chelsea Textiles with showrooms in the NY; London and Paris. Chelsea Textiles makes handmade embroidered fabrics; cushions and furniture, "The antiques of the future".

Ms. Sadick worked at Federated Department Stores for 6 years establishing the corporations' private label programs for the divisions in Junior Sportswear and Misses Sportswear. She started her career at one of the oldest family owned department store; Strawbridge and Clothier in Philadelphia. She has her bachelor's degree in Economics from Ursinus College and has enjoyed helping young girls by being involved in the Girl Scouts USA.

James Salter
President & Chief Executive Officer
Hilco Consumer Capital Corp.

For more than 20 years, Jamie Salter has consistently generated upper quartile returns for investors in numerous Lifestyle Brand related activities. Jamie’s success encompasses the full spectrum of business activities.

A key component of Jamie’s strategy has been to identify Brands with a high level of awareness among targeted consumers but with underdeveloped licensing and wholesale potential. He has focused on recognized Brands which could be improved by better cost management, by improved product standards, by increased/improved marketing and by strategic sales initiatives.

Brands that Jamie has controlled include Ride®, Sims®, Lamar, ®, LTD®, Kemper®, Volant®, Hespler®, Ultra Wheels®, Rage®, Airwalk®, Vision Street Wear®, Dukes™, Tommy Armour®, Ram®, TearDrop®, Zebra®, Caribbean Joe, Halston, Bombay, Ellen Tracy and most recently The Sharper Image.

Jamie has completed well over $2 billion of brand-related investments which have included both growth companies and turnarounds. His record of outstanding performance is a clear demonstration of his visionary ability to recognize value and seize opportunity.

Jamie co-founded Kemper Snowboards, which he grew into one of the top three snowboard companies of that time. He was the CEO of Ride Snowboard Company where he completed an IPO. Ride was the best performing stock in the Pacific Northwest during 1995.

Jamie created Gen-X Sports which he built into a diversified sporting goods company with annual sales in excess of $100 million. In that same year he was named Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the year in the Pacific Northwest Region.

Later Jamie was appointed CEO of GSI’s Opportunity and Action Sports division where he introduced the e-commerce strategy through which GSI secured licenses to sell goods from many of North America’s leading sporting goods retailers online. In 2000, Jamie was once again named Ernst & Young’s Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year.

In 2004, Jamie founded and became Chairman of Lifestyle Brands Ltd. (“LBL”), a brand licensing business. Early in 2007, LBL was sold to Payless Shoe Source, Inc. for approximately $100 million.

Today, Jamie provides leadership, innovation and vision as President and CEO of Hilco Consumer Capital Corp., a Private Equity firm focused on lifestyle brand investments.

Richard Schurig
Retail & Consumer Product Industry Practice Director
J. H. Cohn

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.

John M. Steel
Partner
DLA Piper

John Steel is a corporate/securities law partner at DLA Piper, a global law firm with 67 offices throughout the U.S., Europe, Middle East and Asia. Mr. Steel serves as chair of his firm’s Retail and Consumer Products Practice, which has received a first-tier rating in the retail category of the prestigious Chambers USA ranking of U.S. business law firms. For over three decades, Mr. Steel has counseled a broad range of retailers and product companies in consumer-facing verticals, including: women's exercise apparel, outdoor recreation equipment, specialty coffees, traditional and discount grocery, discount drug, cosmetic care, athletic and discount footwear, winter sports, cycling, eyewear, premium wines, craft beers and restaurants.

Mr. Steel’s personal practice focuses on financing, acquisition/divestiture and strategic alliance transactions--practice areas for which DLA Piper is recognized as a global leader (ranked #1 for both merger/acquisition and private equity transactions in 2008). More broadly, Mr. Steel also manages his clients' interface with the various other areas of practice that DLA Piper provides to the retail/consumer sectors, such as channel management (distribution and franchise), brand management (trademark protection and licensing), real estate, offshore sourcing/outsourcing, global tax planning, technology adoption, regulatory/governmental affairs, and consumer risk management and litigation.

Mr. Steel has been recognized by his clients for his business judgment and strategic approach to problems, earning him the highest possible ranking in Chambers USA, as well as in numerous other published rankings of corporate lawyers. In addition to chairing his firm’s Retail and Consumer Products Practice, Mr. Steel also serves on the executive management committee for DLA Piper's U.S. practice.

Dana Telsey
CEO & Chief Research Officer
Telsey Advisory Group

Dana Telsey is the CEO and Chief Research Officer of TAG. 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.

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 regular 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.

Katie Weisman
Writer and Editor
KWD Media, Inc.

Katie Weisman is a writer and editor specialized in fashion, retail, beauty, luxury and lifestyle subjects. Her articles have appeared in the International Herald Tribune; international editions of Vogue; Town and Country; Westchester Magazine and Style.com among other titles. Ms. Weisman is also a communications consultant who helps companies and individuals express what they want to say in a succint yet brand-coherent way. Her clients have included the Gucci Group, Burberry Fragrances, Celine and the Federation Francaise de la Mode. Ms. Weisman lived for fourteen years in Paris where she was a retail and fashion editor for Women's Wear Daily and later, the director of public relations for Givenchy Couture. She returned to the U.S. in 2005 and currently lives in Westchester with her family.

Ms. Weisman graduated from The Johns Hopkins University and holds a Masters Degree in International Studies and Economics from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (Johns Hopkins Univ.)

Sue Welch
Chief Executive Officer
TradeStone Software

Sue Welch, founder and CEO of TradeStone Software, is an established leader in designing technology for retailers and suppliers involved in global sourcing and private label initiatives. Ms. Welch's passion for all things retail is reflected in TradeStone's innovative approach to developing a Merchandise Lifecycle Management infrastructure to support collaboration among retailers and their partners as they design, source, produce and deliver exciting and differentiated merchandise collections to the store floor. Through embedded intelligence and content, TradeStone takes the process of sourcing and private label one step further to mitigate risk while reducing cycle times that ensures merchandise is safe, on trend, and priced right.

In addition to leading TradeStone, Welch is a frequent speaker on global trade automation and has addressed numerous organizations including a full delegation of the World Trade Organization, the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade, the ICC and the National Retail Federation. She has been celebrated for her innovation in the industry by such publications as Fortune and World Trade Magazine, in which she was named as one of the 50 most influential executives.

James Wright
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Tractor Supply Company

Jim Wright is the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tractor Supply Company, a $3 billion, NASDAQ Traded (TSCO), retail farm and ranch store chain based in Nashville, Tennessee. He joined the company as the President and Chief Operating Officer in November 2000, was named CEO in 2004 and was appointed Chairman in 2007.

Before moving to Nashville, Jim was President and Chief Executive Officer of a 150-store chain of tire stores headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida. Jim is a career retailer having held executive positions with Western Auto Supply Company in Kansas City, Missouri and K-Mart Corporation in Troy, Michigan.

Jim is a board member and lead director of Spartan Stores, a NASDAQ traded, $2.5 billion food distribution and retailing company. He is also a Board Member of the National Retail Federation. Previously Jim was chairman of AAIA a 1,700-member trade association.

George Young
Founding Partner
Kalypso

George is a Founding Partner of Kalypso with over 20 years of professional experience in business management and consulting roles. He leads Kalypso's Consumer Packaged Goods industry practice. Prior to founding Kalypso, George was a partner with Deloitte Consulting where he focused on Product Development and Lifecycle Management. He also held R&D, plant management and business management positions with BFGoodrich. He holds 4 US patents and was named the 1994 Northeast Ohio Inventor of the Year. Additionally, he is the author of numerous publications concerning product development and commercialization. George holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry from The Ohio State University and an MBA in Finance and Strategic Planning from Rice University.