Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) has increased its board of directors from 10 members to 11 by appointing Deirdre Connelly to its board of directors.  Ms. Connelly is the president of Lilly USA, a division of Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY).  Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren stated that Deirdre Connelly’s presence on the company’s board of directors will help develop strategies in the Hispanic market. Continue reading »

Sara Blakely was just 27-years old when she invented Spanx, and today, her company is worth $150 million with 55 employees and 100 products.  The newest product in the Spanx line, Bra-llelujah (a comfortable, hosiery bra), will hit stores in January 2008, and Sara’s company shows no signs of slowing down.

Two of the key things I always talk about on my marketing and branding blogs are common sense and starting with a good product.  Sara Blakely did just this as she built her Spanx business.  She had no business background, but she invented a product that she new was fundamentally good and fulfilled an existing need among consumers.  She trusted her gut, and persevered despite the challenges she faced. Continue reading »

Fortune recently announced their list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business, which included 44-year old Kathleen Murphy who graduated from my alma mater, Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut.  Kathleen is ranked 40th on Fortune’s list of powerful businesswomen as the CEO of ING’s Wealth Management division. 

Kathleen earned her bachelor’s degree in economics and political science at Fairfield University in 1984 and then went on to earn her juris doctorate degree with honors from the University of Connecticut.  She went on to work in the law department of Aetna Financial Services (later acquired by ING), which allowed her to gain a solid understanding of the business side of the company.  Just four years ago she moved from the legal side to the business side. Continue reading »