After establishing the chairman and CEO’s position within the fashion retail industry and setting the stage for his acquisition of Hudson’s Bay Company, L&Co. continued its role as advisor on all new acquisitions, internal strategic initiatives, and category-specific expansion. Key strategic initiatives included development of men’s private label Black Brown for Lord & Taylor, which became the nameplate’s #1 men’s resource; the creation and execution of The Birdcage, a new department showcasing emerging designers and unique products which generated 50 million press impressions at launch and resulted in 21% increase in new, millennial customers for Lord & Taylor; and 24/7 pre- and post- advisory on the purchase of Saks Fifth Avenue -- Women’s Wear Daily’s “2014 Story of the Year.”