Students participating in the Fall 2016 New York City Program recently visited Stephen Sadove '73 in Manhattan. Sadove, chairman of the Board of Trustees at Hamilton, is the former CEO of Saks Fifth Avenue. He began with a description of his career path then answered questions of interest for the students.
Sadove went to Harvard Business School immediately after Hamilton then took his first job at General Foods. He advanced internally for nearly two decades before becoming president of Clairol. He then became CEO of Saks Fifth Avenue until the company was sold. Now he sits on numerous boards, focuses on charity, and has founded a private equity company.
Some topics covered in the Q&A included the future of the retail industry, the rise of self-driving cars, the value of business school, and the process of running a company. Sadove was engaging and the students continued to ask follow-up questions to gain as much insight as possible.
Sadove spoke to his time running large retail companies and how he emphasized culture and strategy. He stressed above all else working in an enjoyable career and taking time to come up with innovative ideas, both ideas being of central importance to the students as they prepare to make critical career path choices.
