Les Berglass
Chairman
BerglassGrayson

In the late ‘70s, Les was a young marketing executive and equity partner in the company that brought cosmetics and fragrances to vertical retailers.

After 12 years of success in marketing, Les realized that the growth of vertical specialty retailing was dissolving the walls between wholesale and retail. Until that point, product had always been top-of-mind for all marketing executives. Now, distribution was becoming more and more important. Leaders had to understand not only brand, but also verticalization and multi-channel distribution.

A new generation of executives who understood the changing landscape needed to be identified and placed in key positions. As there was no other recruiting firm that recognized this shift, Les opened his own shop in 1981 to provide talent for the future.

In 1993 Les joined forces with Bob Grayson to strengthen his position.

Bob and Les knew that search firms were, at best, tolerated. They set out to make their company different. Berglass Grayson has earned a well-founded reputation for being effective as well as approachable. The rest, they say, is history—in the making.

Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne
Group President
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne was appointed Group President, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., in July 2001. From 2001 to 2004, he directed the worldwide businesses of Estée Lauder, M·A·C, along with Aramis and Designer Fragrances. In January 2005, he expanded his responsibilities to focus on developing important strategic opportunities across Europe and Asia. He continues to head the Aramis and Designer Fragrances division – including Aramis, Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan, Michael Kors, Sean John and Donald Trump, The Fragrance – while adding the leadership of Bobbi Brown, Crème de la Mer, Jo Malone, Darphin and Rodan + Fields brands and the Fashion Group to his duties.

Previously, Mr. Bousquet-Chavanne was President, Estée Lauder International, Inc., where he was responsible for the marketing, operations and financial direction of all brands within The Estée Lauder Companies in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Asia/Pacific region. During that time, he was the catalyst for the successful internationalization of M.A.C in over 40 countries. He was also responsible for the Company’s Travel Retailing Division, which is present in more than 120 countries, reaching a market of more than one billion business and vacation travelers annually.

Mr. Bousquet-Chavanne was also instrumental in establishing two regional Product Development Centers, in Paris and Tokyo. The Paris Product Development Center developed Estée Lauder’s Pure Color lines and collaborated with Estée Lauder’s U.S. product development team on Intuition, Body Performance and Amber Bronze lines. The Tokyo Product Development Center developed Estée Lauder’s WhiteLight Brightening System and several regional make-up initiatives. In addition, Mr. Bousquet-Chavanne also spearheaded the first Global Landmarks Illumination Initiative, which raised global awareness of breast cancer in 14 countries.

Mr. Bousquet-Chavanne has spent more than two decades in the international cosmetics business. He originally joined the Estée Lauder Companies in 1989 as Vice President and General Manager, Aramis International, where he was responsible for sales, marketing and finance for the Aramis brand in more than 100 markets. From 1992 until 1996, he was Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Company’s Travel Retailing Division. During this time, he developed the division into a highly successful global operation with a presence in 93 countries. Double-digit sales increases resulted in a dramatic improvement in overall market share.

Michael Burke
CEO
Fendi

Michael Burke has been the Chief Executive Officer of Fendi since 2004. From 1997 to 2003, Mr. Burke was Directeur Général - COO of Christian Dior SA. From 1993 to 1997, Mr. Burke was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Louis Vuitton Inc. From 1986 to 1993, Mr. Burke was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Christian Dior, Inc. Prior to his time at Christian Dior, Inc. he was a Vice President at Group Arnault. Mr. Burke is a 1976 graduate of Baccalauréat Européen Karlsruhe, and received an MBA in 1980 from E.D.H.E.C. (Lille Campus).

Dr. Chan received his BBA in Finance & Investments from Baruch College in 1979. In 1983, Anthony received his M.A. in Economics followed by his Ph.D. in Economics in May 1986 from the University of Maryland. In addition, Anthony also spent time at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve in Washington, DC as a Doctoral fellow from 1985 to 1986. Upon graduating, he became an Economics Professor at the University of Dayton from 1986 to 1989. Next, he joined the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as an Economist from 1989 to 1991. Anthony also joined Barclays de Zoete Wedd Government Securities, a Government Securities Primary Dealer, from 1991 to 1994 as a Senior Economist.

More recently, Anthony joined JPMorgan in mid-1994. His responsibilities include economic analysis and research in support of the Private Client Services team. Anthony also spends a great deal of his time in front of clients delivering economic presentations around the country. Anthony is also a member of the prestigious Blue Chip Monthly Forecasting panel, as well as the following other forecasting panels: National Association of Business Economists Quarterly Macro Panel and The Reuters, Bloomberg and Dow Jones Weekly Economic Indicator panels. In addition, he served on the Economic Advisory Committee of the American Bankers Association from 2001-2002. One of the most important responsibilities of this ABA group was to brief Alan Greenspan and the rest of the board members in Washington, DC twice a year in an off the record session.
 
Anthony has also been quoted in media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, and Investor’s Business Daily. He appears monthly on CNBC, Fox News, and Bloomberg TV. Anthony’s most recent live national television interview took place on March 10th on CNBC “Closing Bell” at 4:05 PM. Anthony was on Bloomberg TV's Latin American Channel on March 10th at 12:30 PM. Anthony was on Bloomberg Radio’s “The First Word” on March 20th 5:20 AM. He did a taped interview for Bloomberg Radio’s “The First Word” that aired on March 14th between 5:00 AM and 9:00 PM. He also did a taped interview for Bloomberg Radio’s Latin American Station that aired on March 13th at 9:01 AM. All times are stated in Eastern Standard Time. Finally, Anthony produces a Weekly Commentary to support his ongoing research function.

Robert B. Chavez
President and Chief Executive Officer
Hermès of Paris, Inc.

Robert Chavez is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hermès of Paris, Inc. He joined in August 2000.

Robert Chavez is a native of San Antonio, Texas. After graduation from Princeton University, he moved to New York in 1977 to join the Executive Training Program at Bloomingdale’s. He subsequently became an Assistant Buyer in Cosmetics. Three short years later, at 25, he became a furniture buyer. This position required that he travel extensively and his ability to speak two languages fluently was a great asset to him. He also drew strength and inspiration from the diversity of cultures, with which he worked and sharpened his eye for fashion and design.

In 1986, Chavez joined Macy’s as Merchandise Administrator for Cosmetics and Fragrances. As head of the department he increased sales and profitability dramatically. In consequence, he was appointed Senior Vice President of Merchandising in 1989 and was made responsible for, in addition to Cosmetics and Fragrances, Women’s Shoes, Dresses and Suits. In 1991, at the age of 36, he was appointed President of Merchandising and added Fashion Accessories to his areas of responsibility.

In 1992, he joined Etienne Aigner as Chief Executive Officer. Under his leadership Etienne Aigner experienced a significant increase in growth and profitability. This was due primarily to Chavez’s strategy of enhancing the value of the Etienne Aigner brand and product and to his philosophy of team spirit within the organization and building true partnerships with Etienne Aigner’s customers.

In August 2000, Chavez was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Hermès of Paris, Inc. He oversees all of Hermès’ U.S. businesses, including Retail and Wholesale divisions.

Chavez balances his success in business with philanthropic work. He is an active supporter of the March of Dimes and chairs the Gourmet Gala March of Dimes Event. He is a major supporter of God’s Love We Deliver, an organization that provides hot meals for home bound people with Aids. He is also on the board of Vincent Longo, Inc., the Luxury Education Foundation, Aeropostale, the March of Dimes and former Chair of the Princeton University Store Board.

Chavez loves the theater and movies and is a ballroom dancer. Ever active, he travels as often as he can, continuing to cultivate his eye and discovering new horizons.

Joseph DePinto
President and CEO
7-Eleven, Inc.

Joe DePinto is the President and CEO of 7-Eleven, Inc. DePinto first joined 7-Eleven in 2002, and has held several executive positions within the organization. As President and CEO he leads the premier name in convenience retailing. 7-Eleven, Inc. is the operator, franchisor, and licensor of over 7,100 stores in North America and 30,700 stores Worldwide.

Before being appointed to his current role in 2005, DePinto was President of GameStop, Corp. and while there he helped lead the acquisition of Electronics Boutique by GameStop Corp. to create the world’s largest video game and entertainment software retailer. He also has held executive positions at PepsiCo, Inc., and was Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Thornton Quick Café and Market.

A native of Chicago, Ill., DePinto earned a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Management from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

DePinto sits on the board of OfficeMax (NYSE: OMX). He is a member of the Advisory Councils for Outlook Leadership and the Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization West Texas Chapter.

Tom DiDonato
EVP, Human Resources
American Eagle Outfitters

Tom DiDonato joined American Eagle in July 2005 as Executive Vice President of Human Resources and is responsible for all people activities including recruitment, leadership development, succession planning, performance management, compensation and benefits, diversity, training & development, internal communications, and community involvement.

Prior to joining American Eagle, Tom was worldwide Chief People Officer for H. J. Heinz Company. He joined Heinz in July 2001 as Vice President, Human Resources for Heinz North America and was promoted to Vice President of Global Leadership and Development for Heinz World Headquarters in December 2003.

Tom is a native of Pittsburgh, with two decades of packaged goods human resources experience, including Philip Morris Companies, Inc., where he worked from 1982 to 1990, and Pepsico where he held VP level positions both domestically and internationally in affiliate (Frito Lay) and WHQ positions from 1990 to 1997. Prior to joining Heinz, he was Senior Vice President, Human Resources for Merck-Medco Managed Care LLC (a division of Merck).

Tom graduated in 1980 from Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania with a BA degree in Economics. In 1982, he completed his MS degree in Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Tom, his wife and three children reside in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania.

Jim Gold
President and CEO
Bergdorf Goodman

Jim Gold has been the President and CEO of Bergdorf Goodman since 2004.

Jim joined Neiman Marcus Stores in 1991. In 1994, after advancing through Assistant Buyer and Department Manager positions, he was promoted to Buyer of Men’s Sportswear. Jim then served as a store Merchandise Manager and, in 1997, he was promoted to Vice President and Director of the Neiman Marcus Clearance Store Division. Subsequently, in 2000, Jim was named Vice President, Divisional Merchandise Manager of Women’s Designer Sportswear. In 2002, he was promoted to Senior Vice President, General Merchandise Manager of Men’s, Cosmetics and Fragrances.

Jim is a graduate of Tulane University, where he earned a B.A. degree in English Literature, and of the Harvard Business School, where he earned an M.B.A.

Mark Goodman
Executive Vice President, Marketing, Membership and E-commerce
Sam's Club

As Executive Vice President Marketing, Membership & E-Commerce, Mark Goodman is responsible for overall strategy development for the marketing and membership divisions of the $39.8 billion SAM’S CLUB division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

His areas of focus include enhancement of the membership experience in more than 550 locations, marketing, samsclub.com and increasing brand awareness of the many premium benefits available to card-carrying members. SAM’S CLUB is the nation’s largest warehouse chain in the United States serving more than 47 million business owners and consumers nationwide.

Prior to this role, Goodman served as Vice President, U. S. Strategy & Operations for the McDonald’s corporation. It was during this period that Mark created the long-term growth vision for McDonald’s U. S. Operation and guided the management team through development of a 10-year roadmap to double the business.

Goodman joined McDonald’s in 1999. Before joining McDonald’s, he served as President of a retail company and served as a management consultant with a variety of Fortune 100 companies.

A former economic and foreign policy advisor to Sen. Edward Kennedy, Goodman completed a master’s fellowship for advanced study in economics and business management at Harvard University in 1994. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy of economics and graduated Phi Sigma Tau from College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. In addition, he earned a master’s degree in economics and philosophy from Tufts University, Medford in Mass.

A native of the Ypsilanti-Ann Arbor area, Mark’s tenacity and academic achievement were passed down from his parents George and Judith Goodman. As the first elected African-American mayor of Ypsilanti, Michigan, his father holds a record for longest serving elected mayor in the town’s history. His mother, Judith, is the former Assistant Dean of Admissions and Student Services for the University Graduate School of Business where she worked for twenty years.

Mark and his wife Amy live in Rogers, Michigan.

Michael Gould
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Bloomingdale’s

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Michael Gould received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University in 1966. Continuing at Columbia, he received a master’s degree from the Graduate School of Business.

It was a summer internship program during the MBA studies that afforded Gould his first retail experience. A brief summer stint at Abraham and Straus in New York was enough to inspire him to seek a retail career. In 1968, Gould entered the Executive Training Squad of Abraham and Straus. Starting as an assistant buyer in decorative home furnishings, he soon became the company’s youngest merchandise vice president.

In 1978, Gould left Abraham and Straus when he was named Senior Vice President of Robinson’s Department Stores in Los Angeles. Responsible for men’s, children’s, juniors, moderate sportswear and home furnishings, Gould was appointed within two years to Executive Vice President, merchandising and sales promotion. In 1981, he was promoted to Robinson’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, later being made a member of the Board of Directors for Associated Dry Goods.

In 1986, he was tapped as President and Chief Operating Officer of Giorgio Beverly Hills. When Avon Products purchased the company in 1987, he was named President and Chief Executive Officer.

In November 1991, Gould became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bloomingdale’s a division of Federated Department Stores, Inc. with 36 stores in the United States.

Gould divides his spare time among a number of important affiliations: serving on the Board of Trustees of Lenox Hill Hospital and of The Allen Stevenson School, the Board of Overseers of Columbia University Graduate School of Business and the National Board of Hebrew College in Boston. He is a member of the Board of The Golub Corporation and also serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The American Jewish Committee and is a Sustaining Fellow of Harvard University’s Center for Jewish Studies.

Over the years, Gould has received numerous awards for distinguished service from many organizations, universities, philanthropic organizations, industry associations and cultural organizations. While he remains personally and professionally committed to many different causes and organizations family always comes first. Gould is intensely proud of being recognized by the Father’s Day and Mother’s Day Council as the 1999 National Father of the Year.

David B. Henry
Vice-Chairman and Chief Investment Officer
Kimco Realty Corporation

David B. Henry is Vice-Chairman & Chief Investment Officer of Kimco Realty Corporation, a NYSE REIT which is one of the nation’s largest owners of neighborhood and community shopping centers. As of February 13, 2006, Kimco has interests in over 1,046 properties totaling approximately 132 million square feet located throughout 44 states, Canada and Mexico.

Before joining Kimco Realty, Mr. Henry was Senior Vice President & Chief Investment Officer at GE Capital Real Estate. Mr. Henry spent 23 years with the company and was responsible for pension advisory activities and investment policies and strategies in the U. S. and international markets. Mr. Henry was also chairman of the Investment Committee, and a member of the Credit Committee.

Prior to joining GE Capital, Mr. Henry was Vice President for six years with Republic Mortgage Investors, a REIT based in Coral Gables, Florida.

Mr. Henry graduated from Bucknell University in 1971 with a B.S. in Business Administration, and received an M.B.A. in 1973 from the University of Miami.

Brendan Hoffman
President and CEO
Neiman Marcus Direct

Brendan Hoffman is President and CEO of Neiman Marcus Direct, the direct marketing and fulfillment business of The Neiman Marcus Group. Neiman Marcus Direct produces more than 80 catalogs annually for the Neiman Marcus and Horchow brands, including the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. Mr. Hoffman is also responsible for Neiman Marcus Online, which operates web sites under NeimanMarcus.com, BergdorfGoodman.com, and Horchow.com. Neiman Marcus Direct generates sales of 600 million dollars per year and has a staff of over 1500 employees.

Mr. Hoffman has been with The Neiman Marcus Group since 1998 serving in both the Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus divisions where he has held positions in both merchandising and management. Prior to joining Neiman Marcus, Mr. Hoffman held positions with Deloitte Consulting and Lord and Taylor.

He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and has an M.B.A from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Brendan lives in Dallas with his wife and two children.

Michael G. Rubin is the founder of GSI Commerce and has served as the company’s chairman of the board and its chief executive officer since July 1995.  Mr. Rubin directly oversees the company’s sales, strategic planning, corporate development, and corporate support and governance groups. He launched GSI Commerce in 1999 by partnering with five sporting goods retailers and brought each of their brands online, including the Sports Authority, one of the largest full-line sporting goods retailers in the U.S.  Since, he has built GSI Commerce into one of the leading e-commerce companies in the U.S. with partners that include Palm, Major League Baseball, the NFL,  Ace Hardware, Linens ‘n Things, Polo, Timberland, Bath & Body Works and Zale Corporation. Today, the company provides e-commerce solutions for more than 50 partners in seven general merchandise categories -- home, consumer electronics, apparel, entertainment, sporting goods, health & beauty, and jewelry & luxury goods.  In 2005 the company expanded internationally with an acquisition and is now marketing e-commerce solutions in Europe.  In 2005, the company recorded merchandise sales of approximately $682 million with net revenues of $440 million.  Estimates for 2006 have the company producing more than $900 million in merchandise sales with net revenues reaching beyond $530 million.

Mr. Silverstein joined The Boston Consulting Group in 1980. He is the Senior Vice President & Executive Officer of BCG’s Office of the CEO. Until late-2003, Mr. Silverstein was global practice leader of the firm’s consumer practice. He actively serves clients in retail and consumer packaged goods.

During his 25 years with BCG, Mr. Silverstein has worked with many global companies. He is an expert in consumer behavior, helping large companies improve their value proposition and brand development.

Mr. Silverstein has consulted in a wide variety of businesses including consumer packaged goods, specialty retailing, food retailing, hard goods and department store retailing. In addition to his client work, Mr. Silverstein is editor and principal contributor to the BCG Anthology “Breaking Compromises.” He is co-author with Neil Fiske of the best-selling 2003 title published by Penguin Putnam “Trading Up.” He has led BCG’s global research on the consumer driven economy. His new book, “Treasure Hunt” is scheduled for release on April 15, 2006.

Prior to joining The Boston Consulting Group, Mr. Silverstein worked at United Press International as a reporter and later in new product development. He holds an MBA with distinction from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration and a BA in economics and history from Brown University.

John Sullivan
Senior Vice President
Toys R Us, Inc.

John Sullivan was appointed Senior Vice President, Toysrus.com in May 2006. In this capacity, he oversees the company’s Internet operations including Toysrus.com and Babiesrus.com. Mr. Sullivan was responsible for re-launching the Toysrus.com site after its separation from Amazon.com, which included directing the website’s new look and improved navigation capabilities. He provides leadership for all online merchandising, marketing and fulfillment, and ensures the website provides more integrated, multi-channel offerings to benefit Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us shoppers.

Prior to this, Mr. Sullivan served as Senior Vice President of Toysrus.com, R-Zone, Toy Box and New Business since August of 2005. In this role, Mr. Sullivan was responsible for all aspects of the Internet business and oversaw buying and merchandising for the electronic, video, learning and discovery categories for Toys “R” Us, U.S. He also had responsibility for the company’s wholesale operations.

Mr. Sullivan was named Vice President – General Manager of Toysrus.com in February 2000, where he managed the day-to-day online operations of the business. As General Manager of Toysrus.com, Mr. Sullivan solidified the company’s position as the market leader in sales and traffic. During his tenure as Vice President – General Manager, he was instrumental in launching three new businesses, sportsrus.com, imaginarium.com and personalizedbyrus.com.

Joining Toys “R” Us, Inc. in 1982 as a store manager, Mr. Sullivan continued to take on additional responsibilities and positions within the company, including: Regional Inventory Manager of the Southeast/Atlanta market, corporate buyer for multiple categories and Vice President – Divisional Merchandising Manager. In February 2000, he transitioned to Toysrus.com to head up the merchandising and purchasing efforts for the entire online division.

From 2000 to 2003, Sullivan served as the Chairman of the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association and is a former board member of the Franklin Lakes Education Foundation.