Retail And Luxury Good Club

Stephen M. Ross is the Chairman and Founder of Related Companies. Mr. Ross formed Related in 1972 and today the company includes over 2,000 professionals.
Related has developed over $22 billion in real estate and owns real estate assets valued at over $15 billion made up of best-in-class mixed-use, residential, retail, office, trade show properties in premier high-barrier-to-entry markets. Related is also one of the largest developers, financiers and preservationists of affordable and workforce housing and is proud to have not only continued to acquire and preserve affordable housing for four decades, but to have never taken a single unit of affordable housing to market rent. Mr. Ross is also the owner of the Miami Dolphins and Sun Life Stadium.

Mr. Ross is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Equinox Holdings, Inc., serves on the Executive Committee and is a trustee of Lincoln Center and is a trustee of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Urban Land Institute and the NY Chapter of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International. He is also a director of the World Resources Institute and the Jackie Robinson Foundation and chairperson emeritus of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), the city’s leading real estate trade association.

Over the years, Mr. Ross has received numerous honors for his business, civic, and philanthropic activities. Most recently, he was a New York Power Player by the New York Times, the Most Powerful Person in New York Real Estate by the New York Observer, Multi-Family Property Executive of the Year by Commercial Property News, and Housing Person of the Year by the National Housing Conference. He also received The National Building Museum Honor Award, REBNY’s Harry B. Helmsley Distinguished New Yorker Award and the Jack D. Weiler Award from UJA. Crain’s New York named Mr. Ross one of the 100 Most Influential Leaders in Business and he was recognized by NYC & Company with their Leadership in Tourism Award.

Mr. Ross graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, from Wayne State University Law School with a Juris Doctor degree and from New York University School of Law with a Master of Laws in Taxation. In 2004, the University of Michigan renamed its business school the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and in 2011 the University of Michigan awarded Mr. Ross an honorary degree, Doctor of Laws.

Andrew Rosen is the third generation in his family to become a leader in the fashion industry. His grandfather, Arthur Rosen founded women’s clothing company Puritan Fashions in 1910 in Boston, Massachusetts. His father, Carl Rosen, built Puritan Fashions into one of the most prominent apparel companies of its time. He was an innovator in all aspects of the industry, and was one of the first to develop modern licensing, creating licenses with such names as Gloria Swanson, Mary Quant, Chris Evert, Diane Von Furstenberg, and ultimately Calvin Klein Jeans.

Andrew Rosen began his career at Puritan Fashions in 1977, and went on to become President and CEO in 1983. Puritan was acquired by Calvin Klein and Barry Schwartz in 1984, and Andrew continued working closely with them until 1989. He then served as President and CEO of Anne Klein until 1995, where he repositioned and re-engineered the entire company, as well as introduced the A-Line brand.

In 1997, Andrew founded and created Theory, inspired by the new way modern women and men wanted to dress. Theory quickly became a marketplace phenomenon and led the explosion of contemporary fashion in America. In 2004, Theory was acquired by its Japanese licensee Link to then establish Link Theory Holdings. In March 2006, Andrew drove the Link Theory acquisition of Helmut Lang and hired design duo Nicole and Michael Colovos, who launched the first collection for the brand in Spring 2007. Under Andrew’s guidance, Helmut Lang has grown into a flourishing global business. In 2009, Fast Retailing, which had previously held a large stake in Link Theory bought the remainder. Andrew continues to lead the company as CEO of Theory and Helmut Lang.

In 2010, Andrew thought to seek out and appoint acclaimed, Belgian-born fashion designer Olivier Theyskens to create a collection called Theyskens’ Theory for Spring 2011. In October 2010, Theory formally announced Theyskens as Artistic Director of the entire brand. Andrew, as a visionary, continues to creatively adapt to the ever-changing ideals of the fashion industry and remains one of the highly influential leaders within the retail and fashion world.

As a visionary and mentor, Andrew has helped launch and is a partner with contemporary brands such as Rag & Bone, Alice & Olivia and Gryphon. In the summer of 2011, Andrew led a team of investors to the American luxury label Proenza Schouler, achieving another stake in a significant global fashion force. His commitment to mentor the future of American Fashion has been unprecedented. Andrew has endowed scholarships at New York City’s FIT and become an active supporter of the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund.

In 2012, The Council of Fashion Designers of America announced Andrew the recipient of the Founders Award, in honor of Eleanor Lambert, for his prophetic influence on American fashion and his commitment to its development.

As a father, Andrew has raised his children to pursue their passions. His son Austin is the founder of Electric Feel Management which represents some of the music industry’s top producers. His daughter Ashley, together with Austin, is collaborating on a series of new and innovative small clothing ventures as the pair work on continuing the family legacy through their own voices to contribute to the fashion industry.

Born in 1961, Ronaldo Stern was raised in Rio de Janeiro, where he earned an engineering degree from PUC-Rio. With a Masters Degree in Computer Science from the University of Southern California, Ronaldo worked at IBM before joining, in 1990, the family business H.Stern Jewelers - at the time already one of the largest and most recognizable names in the jewelry industry. He started by modernizing the company’s technological capabilities and after working in the sales and marketing areas. In 2000, Ronaldo moved to New York and became the CEO of H.Stern’s North American operation. Some of his accomplishments in this position include promoting brand image through celebrity and editorial placements, and expanding both the company owned boutiques as well as the retail partner network. Back to Brazil in 2010, Ronaldo assumed the position of H.Stern’s Managing Director.

Jim Brennan joined McKinsey & Company, Inc. in 2001, and is a Partner based in New Jersey. Jim serves Consumer Goods and Retail clients, primarily on strategy, go-to-market, and pricing related topics. He also helps lead McKinsey’s Apparel, Fashion and Luxury sector in the Americas, and McKinsey’s relationship with American Express Publishing and their Luxury Summit.

His recent luxury experience at McKinsey includes:

	The U.S. growth strategy for a luxury apparel brand
	The go-to-market strategy for a Department Store’s Cosmetics business
	The sales coverage plan for an athletic shoe manufacturer
	The international expansion strategy for a premium chocolate company Jim has an A.B. in Government from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and previously worked for the U.S. Court of Appeals.

After developing an affinity for design while in the costume department in high school, Rebecca Minkoff moved to New York City at only 18 years old to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer.

In 2001, Rebecca designed a version of the “I Love New York” t-shirt as part of a five-piece capsule collection, which appeared on The Tonight Show and became an overnight sensation.

In 2005, Rebecca designed her first handbag, which she soon dubbed the “Morning After Bag,” a.k.a. the “M.A.B.” This iconic bag ignited Rebecca’s career as a handbag designer and inspired her “downtown romantic”-themed designs in the years to come. Rebecca’s success was further enhanced by the support of her brother and the company’s CEO and co-founder, Uri Minkoff, who helped usher in and pioneer the company’s industry-leading social media efforts.

After four years of designing statement-making handbags and accessories with her trademark leathers, studs and edgy hardware, Rebecca returned to her roots of apparel design and introduced her first ready-to-wear collection in 2009.

Today, Rebecca Minkoff has developed into a global lifestyle brand with a wide range of accessories, footwear, apparel, handbags and jewelry as well as men’s leather goods under the label Ben Minkoff. The brand is distributed in over 900 stores worldwide, and on March 1, 2012, Rebecca opened her first free-standing boutique in Tokyo. In 2011, she won industry recognition when she was awarded the Breakthrough Designer Award from the Accessories Council. Rebecca is an active member of the CFDA and supports multiple philanthropies including Jessica Seinfeld’s non-profit, Baby Buggy.

Rebecca is married to actor and director Gavin Bellour and they reside in New York City with their son, Luca.

Uri Minkoff, as a 17 year entrepreneur, is a Founder and CEO of REBECCA MINKOFF, a leading independent New York based fashion and accessories brand. Uri founded the company in 2005 with his sister, Rebecca Minkoff, out of her apartment and have built one of the fastest growing brands in fashion. Today, REBECCA MINKOFF has grown into a full lifestyle brand distributing both accessories and apparel under the REBECCA MINKOFF label. Uri has also helped create, lead, curate and provide artistic direction for the Ben Minkoff brand, which debuted for men in 2011. As a serial entrepreneur, Uri’s forward- thinking expertise in marketing and business growth has provided big wins in technology, health care and lifestyle products that are used daily by millions of consumers.