As long time friends, Alexis and Alexandra knew that they would always create something innovative together. For Alexis and Alexandra, the question was never “if” but rather “when.” Alexis returned from the West, her proving ground was Silicon Valley as a founding member of eBay, while Alexandra hailed from the East coast, blazing a trail up 5th Avenue with tenures at both Bulgari and Louis Vuitton.
However, it was not until 2007 that their plans coalesced, the stars aligned and Gilt Groupe was born. Bringing complementary strengths, interests, and areas of expertise proved the perfect combination. Alexis and Alexandra set out to take the New York invitation only sample sale “on the road” via the Internet superhighway; they made what was once accessible to New Yorkers, accessible to the country. With the launch of Gilt Groupe, ecommerce met fashion and your closet breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Susan Lyne
Chief Executive Officer
Susan has a proven track record as a successful media and
entertainment executive with an exceptional expertise in consumer
branding. From 2004 until July 2008, Susan served as President and CEO
of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO), where she led the company's
recovery and return to profitability. She diversified its
merchandising portfolio with the Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's;
and with the acquisition of Chef Emeril Lagasse's company, MSLO became
an established leader in lifestyle content and products.
Prior to MSLO, Susan spent eight years as an executive at the Walt
Disney Company, principally as President of ABC Entertainment, where
she oversaw the development of hits such as Desperate Housewives,
Lost, and Grey's Anatomy. During her tenure, ABC's movies and
miniseries dominated the ratings and earned numerous awards, including
the Peabody, Golden Globe and multiple Emmy's. Prior to ABC, she was
Managing Editor of New Times and The Village Voice and, in 1987,
created and launched Premiere Magazine, where she served as
Editor-in-Chief for eight years. The Wall Street Journal has named
Susan as one of its "50 Women to Watch". Susan is a Director of CIT
Group and serves on the boards of The New School and The Posse
Foundation.
Susan can be reached at sl@gilt.com
Alexis Maybank
Founder and Chief Strategy Officer
Alexis has dedicated her entire career to building and launching
innovative and compelling online ecommerce experiences for
consumers. She most recently served as General Manager and business
Development Director for AOL's ecommerce businesses.
Prior to that Alexis joined eBay in 1998 as an early member of the
team, first working for the co-founder in the launch of the company's
first strategic planning group. Later, she launched and ran eBay
Canada, which at the time grew to become Canada's largest ecommerce
business. She later helped found eBay Motors, which grew to over $2.5B
in gross sales and continues to be the largest category of goods sold
on eBay today.
Earlier in her career, Alexis worked in Deutsche Bank Alex. Brown's
new media investment banking group. She holds a B.A. and M.B.A. from
Harvard University.
Alexis can be reached at am@gilt.com
Alexandra Wilkis Wilson
Founder and Chief Merchandising Officer
Alexandra has over a decade of international experience in the luxury
goods and retail sectors. Most recently she oversaw retail operations
at Bulgari, managing 15 North American stores. Prior to Bulgari,
Alexandra managed Leather Goods Sales Planning for Louis Vuitton North
America. She started her retail career as a consultant for retail guru
Marvin Traub at Financo Inc. Earlier in her career, Alexandra worked
for three years in Investment Banking at Merrill Lynch in London,
England. Alexandra speaks five languages. She holds a B.A. and
M.B.A. from Harvard University.
Alexandra can be reached at aw@gilt.com
Michael Bryzek
Founder and Chief Technology Officer
Michael brings extensive experience in developing user-focused
Internet software and a deep passion for leveraging technology to
streamline logistics. Prior to Gilt Groupe, Michael founded Volunteer
Solutions, an Internet application service provider for the
philanthropic sector. Volunteer Solutions was acquired by United Way
of America in 2001. Michael then served as Chief Technology Officer
for United eWay, the United Way of America's technology subsidiary. He
holds a B.S. and Masters Degree in Computer Science from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Michael can be reached at mb@gilt.com
Jennifer Carr-Smith
Chief Operating Officer
Jennifer brings to Gilt Groupe 15 years experience in operations,
finance and strategy for retail and technology companies, including
eight years in start-up ecommerce operations.
Most recently, Jennifer oversaw finance and operations for Ralph
Lauren Media. Before Ralph Lauren, she was Senior Director of
Operations for drugstore.com. Jennifer started her career as a
Consultant for Accenture, and as an Analyst for Gartner Group. She
holds a B.A. in Economics from Brown University and an M.B.A. from
Harvard University.
Jennifer can be reached at jcs@gilt.com
Sean Foster
Chief Marketing Officer
Sean joins Gilt Groupe with more than a decade of experience in
launching and growing online businesses. Most recently, Sean held
two consecutive senior positions at Weight Watchers International:
first, as the VP of Marketing for WeightWatchers.com with online
businesses in the US, UK, Canada, Germany and Australia in which he
played a key role in helping to generate over 2 million new online
subscribers and second, as the General Manager of Weight Watchers
Canada Ltd. Earlier in his career, Sean headed up the marketing efforts
for the online stock broker ndb.com (a subsidiary of Deutsche Bank)
from the site’s re-launch to the time of its sale to Ameritrade. He has
also worked in various capacities in the travel industry, including a
stint as brand manager for Club Med.
Sean can be reached at sf@gilt.com
Ann Hailey
Chief Financial Officer
Ann Hailey brings to Gilt Groupe extensive experience in the world of
finance, consumer packaged goods and retailing. From 1997 to 2006 she
was the Executive VP and CFO at the Limited Brands and in 2006, moved
into the role of Executive Vice President, Corporate Development.
Prior to joining the Limited Brands, Ann spent her career in consumer
businesses including PepsiCo, Pillsbury and RJR Nabisco. Ann was
recently elected to the Board of Directors of Avon, Inc. and is also
a Director of W.W. Grainger, Inc., Realogy Corporation where she chairs
the Audit Committee. In addition to her many professional
accomplishments, Ann holds an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School
and a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Georgia.
Ann can be reached at ah@gilt.com
John Auerbach
Director, Men's
Informed by his personal interest and professional background, John
brings his extensive experience in the retail and apparel sectors to
his current role as Director of Men's. Prior to joining Gilt Groupe,
John worked with retail and apparel companies at Peter J. Solomon
Company, a New York-based boutique investment bank. John also served
in the Bloomberg Administration focusing on economic development
within the apparel and retail sectors. John holds an M.B.A. from
Columbia Business School and a B.A. from Duke University.
John can be reached at ja@gilt.com
Leah Park
VP, Creative
Leah brings a passion for creative design and branding from her early
days as student at Art Center College of Design. She has served as
Senior Art Director at Bergdorf Goodman, where she redesigned and
relaunched the Bergdorf Goodman Magazine, branded and launched 5F,
designed creative assets for the New York Times, Lucky, Allure, W and
the New York Magazine. Leah has also developed identity programs and
customer journeys for brands such as Bath and Body Works, Clairol,
Phillips–Van Heusen, amfAR (American Foundation for Aids Research) and
White House Black Market -- just to name a few. Leah holds a BFA from
Art Center College of Design, and her designs have been showcased in
Vogue, Bazaar, Elle, Marie Claire, Communication Arts and the
Williamson Gallery.
Leah can be reached at lp@gilt.com
Christian Leone
Vice President Marketing and Communications
Christian joins us as Vice President Marketing & Communications and
has more than a dozen years of communications experience in the
fashion sector. Most recently, Christian was the Vice president of
Public Relations/Communications for Giorgio Armani. In addition,
Christian oversaw communications and strategic planning for luxury
fashion houses including Alberta Ferretti and Halston. He holds a
B.A. from St. Lawrence University.
Christian can be reached at cl@gilt.com
Peter Glusker
Head of Business Development and International Operations
Peter Glusker joins Gilt Groupe with extensive experience having served as a
senior executive at a number of leading media and technology businesses.
Most recently, Peter was the CEO of Latina Media Ventures LLC, and
previously served as Senior Vice President of the Viacom Digital Media Group
and the CBS Internet Group. Earlier in his career, Peter served as Senior
Vice President of Content Programming & Business Development at Prodigy
Inc., and also held positions at The International Finance Corporation, Bain
& Company and First Boston. Peter has served on the boards of numerous
public and private digital media companies including SportsLine.com, iWon
and MarketWatch. He holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University and an M.B.A. from
Stanford University.
Peter can be reached at pg@gilt.com
Kevin Ryan
Chairman
Kevin is one of the leading internet entrepreneurs in New York's
Silicon Alley. Over the last three years, Kevin has started six New
York-based businesses including Gilt Groupe, Business Insider,
ShopWiki, Panther Express, 10gen and Music Nation. Kevin helped build
DoubleClick from 1996-2005, first as President and later as CEO. He
fostered DoubleClick's growth from a 20 person start-up to a global
leader with over 1500 employees.
Currently, Kevin serves on the Board of Human Rights Watch, the NYC
Investment Fund and INSEAD, and is a member of the Yale International
Council and the Council on Foreign Relations. He has served in the
past on the Boards of the Direct Marketing Association, The Ad
Council, Hotjobs and on the Advisory Board for Doctors Without
Borders. He holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from
INSEAD.
Kevin can be reached at kr@gilt.com
Nick Beim
Investor and Board Member
Nick Beim is a General Partner at Matrix Partners, one of the leading
venture capital firms in the United States. His work at Matrix focuses
primarily on Internet and software companies. In addition to Gilt Groupe,
his investments include TheLadders.com, Care.com, Sparkroom, OatSystems and
JBoss. Prior to Matrix, Nick advised a variety of technology companies on
strategic, operational and financial issues at McKinsey & Co and Goldman,
Sachs & Co.
Nick serves on the board of Endeavor, a
non-profit organization dedicated to helping entrepreneurs in developing
countries, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He
graduated from Stanford University and holds an M.Phil. from Oxford
University, where he was a Marshall Scholar.
Nick can be reached at nbeim@matrixpartners.com
