Matthew Rubel

Matthew E. Rubel (born November 29, 1957) is an American entrepreneur and investor and is now Senior Advisor at TPG Capital. Formerly he was Chairman, CEO and President of Collective Brands, Inc. Collective Brands was the parent company for Payless ShoeSource, a footwear, accessory and lifestyle brand company; Collective Brands' Performance + Lifestyles Group (formerly The Stride Rite Corporation); and Collective Licensing International. In June 2011, Rubel announced his resignation from Collective Brands, Inc. after five years of service since 2005. In fall 2012, Collective Brands was purchased by a consortium of companies and no longer exists as an entity.

Career

Rubel started his career at Bonwit Teller in New York after earning a Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio University in 1979. He earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Miami, FL in 1980. Rubel was Executive Vice President of Murjani International Ltd., where he was in charge of all Tommy Hilfiger businesses. After leaving Murjani, Rubel served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Pepe Jeans, USA and managed Revlon Inc.’s prestige cosmetic brands as President of the Specialty Store Division. From 1994 to 1999, he served as Executive Vice President of J. Crew Group and the CEO of Popular Club Plan. In November 1998, he led the sale of Popular Club from J. Crew to Fingerhut, the largest independent direct marketer in the United States. While at J. Crew, Rubel handled all licensing and international, as well as brand marketing.

From 1999 to 2005, Rubel was Chairman, President and CEO of Cole Haan, a leading marketer of high quality men’s and women’s shoes and accessories, and subsidiary of Nike, Inc. At Cole Haan, Rubel led a multi-year turnaround,^[1] and guided the company into a new era by re-energizing the brand and creating a strong global presence.

Rubel joined Payless ShoeSource in June 2005.^[2] In July 2007, Rubel led the acquisition of The Stride Rite Corporation and the formation of Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS),^[3] the parent company of Payless ShoeSource, Collective Brands Performance + Lifestyle Group and Collective Licensing International.

In December 2007, Footwear News named Rubel their 2007 "Person of the Year,"^[4] in recognition of his leadership in forming Collective Brands and establishing the company’s vision of creating the pre-eminent, consumer-centric, global footwear, accessories and lifestyle brand company, reaching customers through multiple price points and selling channels.^[5] The year prior, Footwear News awarded Payless the "Marketer of the Year" award in recognition of its turn-around effort under Rubel's leadership. In April 2008, Rubel received the M.B. Zale Visionary Merchant Award from Texas A&M.^[6] Under Rubel’s leadership, Payless received several honors for the repositioning of its brand. In December 2006, Payless was named Marketer of the Year by Footwear News.^[7] In March 2007, Payless received a special award for “Brand Reinvention” from Chain Store Age magazine.^[8] Fast Company Magazine also named Payless #42 on its prestigious Fast 50 list for 2007.

Rubel is active in several industry and civic organizations including serving on the Advisory Council for Trade Policy Negotiation, White House and USTR; the Jay H. Baker Initiative at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; Young Presidents' Organization; President’s Council - University of Miami, Florida; Chairman of the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America; and a member of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Board of Governing Trustees and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Board of Trustees. He is a Board member for such businesses as Super Valu, HSNi, Hudson's Bay Company, A.T. Cross Pen and Edible Communities.

References

External links

• Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
• Collective Brands
• Payless ShoeSource
• Collective Licensing International
• Jay H. Baker Initiative