President of Banana Republic to speak at Purdue
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Jack Calhoun, a Purdue University alumnus and president of Banana Republic, will speak April 9 on campus.
"Leading with Vision," which is free and open to the public, will be at 1:30 p.m. in Pfendler Hall, Room 241. Refreshments and an opportunity to meet Calhoun will follow the talk.
A Lafayette native, Calhoun earned his bachelor's degree in organizational leadership and supervision from Purdue in 1987 and his MBA from the Harvard University School of Business 1992.
Prior to his current role, Calhoun was executive vice president of merchandising and marketing at Banana Republic, which is a division of Gap Inc. In addition to leading all aspects of merchandising and marketing, he was instrumental in developing the brand's growth strategies. He led initiatives that included launching a new elevated handbag line and a new personal care suite of fragrances and ancillary products.
Calhoun has been responsible for developing the first fashion brand integration with the reality TV show "Project Runway." He also led the brand partnership with the "Mad Men" TV series and has spearheaded numerous fashion- and art-related partnerships with Vanity Fair, GQ, Vogue, the New York Museum of Modern Art and The New Museum.
His talk is sponsored by the of
Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Source: Denise Buhrmester, director of external relations, 765-496-3663, dmbuhrmester@purdue.edu