Driving Directions:7th Avenue, between 49th and 50th Streets.
Speaker Profiles
Peter May (Panelist)
President, Co-Founder, Trian / Triarc
Peter W. May is President and a founding partner of Trian Fund Management, L.P. with Nelson Peltz and Ed Garden. Trian seeks to work closely with the management of undervalued and under-performing companies to enhance shareholder value.
Mr. May serves as the non-executive Vice Chairman of the Board of Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, Inc. and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trian Acquisition I Corp. Mr. May is also a director of Tiffany & Co. and Deerfield Capital Corp. From April 1993 through June 2007, Mr. May served as President and COO of Triarc, which during that time owned Arby's and the Snapple Beverage Group, as well as other consumer businesses.
Mr. May holds AB and MBA degrees from the University of Chicago and is a CPA. Mr. May is a Trustee of the University of Chicago, a member of its Executive Committee, and a member of the Advisory Council on The University of Chicago, Booth Graduate School of Business.
Jerry W. Levin (Panelist)
Chairman, JW Levin Partners LLC
Jerry W. Levin is the Chairman of JW Levin Partners LLC, a private equity advisory firm. Mr. Levin works with select private equity firms to identify troubled companies with recognizable consumer brands and then helps turn these companies around. Most recently he was Chairman of The Sharper Image (2006-2008) and Chairman and CEO of American Household (formerly named Sunbeam from 1998 to 2005). Mr. Levin has also worked for MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings, and in this capacity, served as CEO of Coleman Co. and CEO of Revlon Inc. He is a Director at Ecolab; US Bancorp; and Saks Inc.
Mr Levin holds two BSE degrees from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from Chicago Booth. He is also on the Booth Council since 1991.
Mick McGuire (Panelist)
Chairman, Borders Group
Mick McGuire is the non-executive Chairman of the Board of Borders Group, Inc. Mr McGuire is the founder of Marcato Holdings, LLC, focusing on value-oriented and event-driven investment opportunities. Prior to forming Marcato, Mr. McGuire was a Partner at Pershing Square Capital Management where he evaluated investments in the consumer, retail, financial services, and business services industries.
Mr. McGuire received his A.B. in Economics from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Carla Dunham (Panelist)
Director of Marketing, Saks Fifth Avenue
Ms Carla Dunham is the Director of Marketing, PR and Special Events at Saks Fifth Avenue. Ms Dunham sets the strategy for customer development, branded advertising and press outreach for the Cosmetics, Accessories and Intimates Divisions. Prior to Saks, Carla held brand development and merchandising positions at Henri Bendel. She began her retail career at Target Corporation, working first in product development and then as Buyer, managing a $200M accessories business.
Carla holds a BA from Purdue University, an MA in Art History and an MBA, both from the University of Chicago.
David Weiner (Moderator)
Vice President, Analyst, Deutsche Bank Securities
Dave Weiner is Vice President and research analyst at Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc. Dave is a lead analyst and also helps covers the Hardlines sector, which includes stocks in the home improvement, home furnishings, value retail, and book retailing sub-sectors. Prior to Deutsche Bank and graduate school, Dave was an analyst at Mercer in Chicago.
Mr. Weiner received his BA in English Literature and Economics from the University of Illinois and his MBA from Chicago Booth. Dave is active in helping Deutsche Bank’s Microfinance efforts, including analyzing new investment opportunities for its funds.