Saks CEO Stephen Sadove Elected Chairman of NRF Board

The National Retail Federation announced that Saks Incorporated Chairman and CEO Stephen I. Sadove has been elected chairman of the NRF Board of Directors and chairman of its Executive Committee. He succeeds NRF's immediate past chairman, Terry J. Lundgren, chairman, president and CEO of Macy's, Inc. Sadove was elected at the Board of Directors meeting held Sunday during NRF's 102nd Annual Convention and EXPO - Retail's BIG Show.

The Container Store Chairman and CEO Kip Tindell was elected first vice chairman of the Board, treasurer and chairman of the Finance Committee, and HSNi CEO Mindy Grossman was elected second vice chair of the Board and secretary.

Sadove, Tindell and Grossman will join NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay to comprise NRF's leadership team. Each board officer will serve a two-year term.

"Representing the breadth and diversity of the retail industry from small business owners to global brands, the Board will help shape NRF's strategic objectives and advocacy agenda," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. "The expertise and experience of these retail leaders will leverage our ability to shine a spotlight on the industry's role in building careers, growing communities, and driving innovation."

Newly-elected retail board members are:
• Beth Aberg, president, Random Harvest, Inc.
• Sasha Bopp, CEO, Crate and Barrel
• Brendan Hoffman, president and CEO, Bon-Ton Stores Inc.
• Ravi Saligram, president and CEO, OfficeMax

State retail association executives elected as ex officio board members are:
• Michelle Ahlmer, executive director, Arizona Retailers Association
• Roland Myers, president and CEO, Tennessee Retail Association

Associate Member Advisory Council representatives re-elected to the board are:
• Karen Lowe, general manager, Global Retail Industry, IBM Corporation
• Ramón B. Martin, president, Merchant Services Americas, American Express Company
• Alison Paul, principal, Deloitte & Touche LLP

As the world's largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, NRF represents retailers of all types and sizes, including chain restaurants and industry partners, from the United States and more than 45 countries abroad. Retailers operate more than 3.6 million U.S. establishments that support one in four U.S. jobs - 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.5 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation's economy. NRF's Retail Means Jobs campaign emphasizes the economic importance of retail and encourages policymakers to support a Jobs, Innovation and Consumer Value Agenda aimed at boosting economic growth and job creation. www.nrf.com