Talent in action
Great leaders are at once inspirational and self aware. Leadership talent comes in many forms and at SpenlgerFox we witness the impact of talent in action on a daily basis. Here Mark Hamill, Managing Director of SpenglerFox identifies his business and leadership heroes and explains why he would invite them for an imaginary dinner party.
| Christine Hefner former CEO Playboy Enterprises "Hugh Hefner's daughter, responsible for turning around 52 year old Playboy Enterprises in the late 90's as she took over the family business. No problem to bring her father along to dinner!" While Hugh Hefner made adult entertainment mainstream with his No. 1-selling men's magazine, it's been his daughter, Christie, 52, who has overseen the expansion of the Playboy empire beyond print. Faced with sliding sales and mounting competition, Hef's daughter made the innovative decision to steer the company onto the Internet in 1994, making it the first national magazine on to be accessible online. Following the successful online venture, Hefner continued to build the brand, exporting it overseas and growing it at home with the creation of videogames, concept stores and plans for new entertainment venues in Las Vegas and Shanghai next year. Christie took the reins as chief executive and chairman in 1988 after 13 years in the family business, and since then she has overseen a recapitalization of the company and has watched global retail sales grow to over $500 million. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, the Brandeis graduate tried her hand in journalism for a year before joining the family publication. |