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Ari Hoffman is a seasoned fashion industry executive with over 30 years of experience leading some of the world's most prestigious brands. His impressive career includes executive roles at Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Lacroix, St. John, Lacoste, GANT, Benetton, Scotch & Soda, and most recently, Ted Baker. He has been ranked on the Power 100 List, the fashion industry global listings of its most influential leaders.
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As President and CEO of GANT USA for 11 years, Ari masterfully repositioned the brand as a premier American sportswear label. His visionary leadership led to the launch of the highly acclaimed GANT by Michael Bastian collaboration, which earned nominations from GQ and the CFDA for Best New Menswear Designers of America in 2011.
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In 2014, Ari took the helm as CEO of Scotch & Soda under Sun Capital, where he spearheaded a remarkable expansion, establishing over 35 new stores and quadrupling the business within five years.
Since 2019, Ari has led the North America business of the British lifestyle brand, Ted Baker as CEO, guiding the brand through a significant transformation. This included its acquisition by Authentic Brands Group in 2022 and implementation of the new operating model. The overhaul of its eCommerce platform, inventory management, and in-store POS systems, all aimed at enhancing the customer experience.
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Ari possesses a profound understanding of the current American fashion landscape and excels in crafting distinctive brand identities that strategically set companies apart from their competitors. His ability to respond quickly and innovatively in a rapidly evolving digital world, coupled with his passion for product development, allows him to create compelling narratives for customers and employees alike, building powerful communities around the brands he helms across North America.
Jenny Liu is a seasoned merchandising leader with extensive experience across global brands such as Theory, AllSaints, and Burberry. As the Director of Merchandising at Theory, she drives women's global merchandising strategies while championing sustainability initiatives. She holds a professional certificate in Circular Economy and Sustainability from MIT.
​Jennifer O’Neil has been an adjunct professor teaching marketing courses at the Gabelli School of Business since 2002. She is also the Faculty Advisor for the Marketing Scholars Program. She has successfully coached seven students in their journey to win more than $50K in scholarships from Fashion Scholarship Fund case competitons and recently joined The Fashion Scholarship Fund Advisory Board. During her 11 years with Kraft Foods, she worked on numerous brand teams, including the cheese and frozen pizza businesses. She also worked as part of the Kraft Foods investor-relations team issuing and marketing Kraft’s Initial Public Offering. Before Kraft, she worked for The Walt Disney Company and was employed by Deloitte & Touche in various client-service capacities. She earned her bachelor of science in business administration from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and holds an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business at Northwestern.
Nina Show is the President of Fordham's Business in Fashion and Luxury Club- BiFL. Her background includes business development, retail, and legal compliance. Nina is currently a grad student at Fordham Gabelli School of Business.
