Opening General Session featuring Mindy Grossman in Conversation with Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP
Reigniting Culture Through Business Transformation: The CEO Perspective
Illuminate the critical importance of culture in a company and how it ultimately can make or break your business strategy.
At large companies, CEOs may oftentimes focus their attention solely on business strategy, aiming to deliver on results and objectives, and can forget the people who are dedicating themselves to their work. Mindy Grossman, CEO of WW International, has spent the entirety of her career focused not only on delivering business results but also on ensuring the company culture was a key element of the business strategy. Known for her innate ability to transform and reinvent businesses, Mindy is a firm believer that culture trumps strategy and that an engaged, passionate, collaborative and accountable culture is the best tool an organization possesses.
Since Mindy joined WW in July of 2017, she has transformed this international organization from the inside out, galvanizing employees behind their noble purpose of wellness and through her “people first” style. Mindy will speak about the importance of avoiding bifurcating strategy and culture and the symbiotic relationship the two must have in order to see success.
Mindy Grossman
Mindy Grossman, 62, has served as a director and President and CEO of WW (NASDAQ: WW) since July 2017. Grossman has more than 38 years of experience in building and transforming consumer brands.
Prior to joining WW, she served as Chief Executive Officer of HSN, Inc. and a member of the company’s Board of Directors from 2008 to 2017. She oversaw a $4 billion direct to consumer retail portfolio that included HSN and the Cornerstone portfolio of home and family lifestyle brands.
During her tenure, she positioned HSNi as a leader in boundaryless retail, offering customers a seamless shopping experience across multiple channels – television, catalogue, online and mobile. As a result, more than half of the company’s revenue was generated through digital commerce.
A 38-year veteran of the retail and apparel industries, Grossman joined IAC, HSNi’s former parent company, in 2006 as CEO of IAC Retail. In 2008, she took the company public and became the CEO of HSNi. She transformed HSN into a lifestyle network offering an exciting array of products, personalities and experiences designed to engage, inform and entertain. She pioneered visionary, industry-changing innovations, such as Shop by Remote, HSN Arcade and HSN Live, and formed unique partnerships with brands such as Disney, Ford and Universal. She also reshaped the Cornerstone Brands portfolio by spearheading the digital transformation of the catalogue business.
Prior to joining IAC, she served as a Global Vice President at Nike, Inc., overseeing its $4 billion apparel business. At Nike, she led the development and growth of the global women's business and served as co-chair of Nike’s Women's Leadership Council. Earlier career highlights include serving as President and CEO of Polo Jeans Company, Vice President of New Business Development at Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, President of Chaps Ralph Lauren, and Senior Vice President of Menswear for Warnaco, Inc. She also held senior positions at Tommy Hilfiger and Oxford Industries.
In October 2018, Grossman was named to TIME Magazine’s 50 Most Influential People in Health Care 2018. In 2014, Grossman was recognized as one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business and Fortune’s Business Person of the Year. In 2013, Forbes magazine named Grossman one of the world’s 100 most powerful women, an honor she has received four times. In 2011, she was named Corporate Innovator of the Year at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® Florida Awards. In both 2010 and 2011, Grossman was ranked by the Financial Times as one of the top 50 women in world business.
Grossman serves as Vice Chairman for UNICEF USA and is a member of the Board of Directors of Fanatics, Inc.
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, is President and Chief Executive Officer of SHRM. With nearly 325,000 members in 165 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 235 million workers and families globally.
As a global leader on the future of employment, culture and leadership, Mr. Taylor is a sought-after voice on all matters affecting work, workers, and the workplace. Recently named one of the “Most Influential People Shaping Public Policy” in our nation’s Capital by the Washingtonian Magazine, Mr. Taylor is frequently asked to testify before Congress on critical workforce issues and authors the weekly USA Today column, "Ask HR."
Mr. Taylor's career spans over 20 years as a lawyer, human resources executive and CEO in both the not-for-profit and for-profit space. He has held senior and chief executive roles at IAC/Interactive Corp, Viacom's Paramount Pictures, Blockbuster Entertainment Group, the McGuireWoods law firm, and Compass Group USA. Most recently, Mr. Taylor was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
He is the author of the national bestseller, RESET: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval, which delivers a candid and forward-thinking vision for leaders to reimagine their company cultures in a time of global upheaval and presents data-driven strategies to make the necessary foundational reset of all things work. Immediately upon its release in September 2021, RESET was in the top three of the Wall Street Journal’s list of best-selling hardcover business books. All author proceeds benefit the SHRM Foundation, which is committed to empowering HR as a social force for change.
He was appointed chairman of the President’s Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and served as a member of the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board during the Trump Administration. He is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of Miami, Independent Director of the Flores & Associates corporate board and member of the corporate boards of Guild Education and XPO Logistics (NYSE: XPO).
The Women Business Collaborative (WBC) named Mr. Taylor as one of its 2023 Trailblazers in Gender Equity and Diversity for his work to achieve equal position, pay and power for all women in business. In 2020, he received the Distinguished Executive of the Year Award from the Academy of Management, and he was named 2021 ALA Professional Society CEO of the Year by CEO Update.
He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources and is licensed to practice law in Florida, Illinois and Washington, D.C.