Posted by Please join the Columbia Business School for their annual Worldwide Celebration event, featuring keynote speaker James Keyes ('80). Please read more about Mr. Keyes in the Bio section below.
The event will be held at the private home of Daniel & Giovanna Carter in the Rice Village neighborhood of Houston; address will be shared with RSVP'd attendees. Please note that Columbia University Alumni who did not graduate from the Business School are welcome to attend. Refreshments and bites will be served.
Bio:
James W. Keyes is currently the Chairman of Wild Oats Marketing LLC and formerly chief executive to two Fortune 500 companies, Blockbuster Inc. and 7-Eleven, Inc.
Mr. Keyes became Chairman and CEO of the Wild Oats Marketing LLC after the intellectual property was acquired in 2011 following the sale of Wild Oats to Whole Foods. He developed a line of consumer products in a strategic collaboration with Walmart creating more than 250 items offered at more than 3,000 Walmart stores.
Mr. Keyes served from 2007-2011 as chairman and chief executive officer of Blockbuster Inc. (NYSE: BBI), one of the world’s leading providers of movie and game entertainment with reported worldwide revenues of over $5 billion and more than 7,000 corporate and franchise stores throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Mr. Keyes served as global President and CEO of 7-Eleven, Inc. (NYSE: SEI) the world’s largest chain of convenience stores from 2000 through 2005. Prior to that, Keyes held a variety of positions at 7-Eleven,including chief financial officer and chief operating officer. During his tenure as CEO,the company enjoyed a 10x improvement in shareholder value.