Born in Ohio to Russian immigrants, Wexner started The Limited in 1963 with a $5,000 loan from his aunt. He nurtured that investment into a $10 billion company whose brands include Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works and Henri Bendel, among others. Through the years, he has grown and spun off top retail brands such as Lane Bryant, Abercrombie & Fitch, Lerner New York, Express and his flagship property, The Limited, as the retail environment has evolved.
In addition to his business pursuits, Mr. Wexner is committed to giving back and making a difference. In 2012, Ohio State University renamed its Medical Center the Wexner Medical Center in honor of his generous support. And L Brands employees and Victoria Secret supermodels regularly participate in volunteering events. For example, for this year’s 22nd Komen Race for the Cure celebration in Columbus, Ohio, L Brands brought in nearly 10,000 participants and guests.
“Les has the complementary skills of being an extraordinary visionary and entrepreneur, while at the same time having the leadership prowess to scale that business into a giant and consistently maintain it over the long-term,” said J.P. Donlon, editor in chief of Chief Executive magazine.
Wexner was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Chief Executive magazine at the CEO2CEO Summit, held Thursday, Dec. 4 at the New York Stock Exchange, after which he spoke to the audience about his experiences starting and building a retail business. Roughly 100 mid-market CEOs were in attendance, as well as key speakers including Andrew Liveris, CEO of Dow Chemical.
“If I had to make one suggestion it would be, instead of a lifetime achievement award which sounds terminal, how about the so-far achievement award?” Wexner joked.
When he purchased Victoria’s, a lingerie shop in San Francisco, it was relevation for him. “I was thinking, most of the girls I date wear underwear most of the time, but most of the girls I date would like to wear lingerie all of the time. Emotionally, that’s the answer. We should redefine the category. It is not transportation, it’s a car. It’s not underwear, it’s lingerie. How do we develop something that has emotional content?”
Clearly, Wexner has redefined the lingerie category.
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
