Business Leaders Roundtable

Matthew Shay is president and CEO of the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association. He serves as chief advocate and spokesman for the nation’s largest private-sector industry employer, responsible for supporting one in four U.S. jobs – 52 million working Americans – and generating $3.9 trillion in annual GDP. He is a frequent guest on CNBC, Fox Business Network and Bloomberg Television.

Since his arrival in 2010, Shay has transformed NRF into Washington’s most powerful voice supporting the retail industry. Under his tenure, membership and revenue have more than doubled and the organization’s influence has grown significantly in Washington, across the United States and globally. He has led the organization to new levels of effectiveness on policy issues, increasing awareness of the industry’s economic impact and expanding political engagement.Shay has also been at the forefront of shifting and framing the narrative about the current state of retail, particularly its digital evolution and vibrant,multichannel future.

He has been recognized by CEO Update as the 2020 trade association CEO of the year and by Association TRENDS as the 2019 association executive of the year. Shay serves as chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Association Committee of100, and is a member of the board at the U.S. Chamber and So Others Might Eat.He also served as chairman of the ASAE Board of Directors from 2017-2018.

Between 2002 and 2013, Steve Sadove held positions of increasing responsibility with Saks Incorporated, serving as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 2007 to 2013.

Prior to joining Saks, Mr. Sadove built a distinguished marketing and consumer products career spanning more than 25 years and held senior positions at companies including General Foods (now Kraft) and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company as President of Clairol. He led Clairol to become the number one hair care business in the United States, relaunched the Herbal Essences brand into a $700 million business and completed the sale of the beauty care business to Procter & Gamble. Mr. Sadove is also a founding partner of JW Levin Management Partners, a private equity firm.

Mr. Sadove is a former Chair of the National Retail Federation and serves as an advisor to Mastercard. He serves on numerous community and civic boards including Hamilton College as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and AmeriCares.

For nearly 30 years, Pauline Brown has acquired, built, and led the world’s most influential global luxury brands. Most recently, she served as the Chairman of North America for the world’s leading luxury goods company, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, where she provided regional leadership for about 70 brands in five sectors including fashion and leather goods, watches and jewelry, perfume and cosmetics, wine and spirits, and selective retailing. While at LVMH, Pauline also served on the board of L Capital, a private equity fund backed by LVMH, as well as on the boards of several LVMH subsidiaries including Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, and Fresh Cosmetics. In 2016, Pauline joined the faculty of the Harvard Business School, where she introduced a new interdisciplinary course for graduate students named “The Business of Aesthetics.” In 2018, she decided to write a book based on the learnings and insights from her HBS course. The book, entitled "Aesthetic Intelligence: How to Boost It and Use It in Business and Beyond,” will be released by HarperCollins this November.

In addition to her operational experience in the luxury goods sector, Pauline Brown also boasts a successful track record as an investor in luxury brands. Before joining LVMH, she was a Managing Director at private equity firm, The Carlyle Group, where she helped build the firm’s global consumer and retail practice, co-led deals, and served on the boards of portfolio companies including the European sportswear brand, Moncler, and the American beauty brand, Philosophy. Earlier in her career, Pauline held senior executive positions in the global beauty industry including Head of Corporate Strategy and New Business Development at The Estee Lauder Companies. There, she led all mergers, acquisitions, and licensing activities and helped to expand Estee Lauder’s portfolio from eight to 25 distinct beauty brands. She reported to the Company’s CEO and was a member of its Executive Committee. Pauline began her career as a Management Consultant at Bain & Company.