Guide to workplace success: Pier 1 exec to share advice at UNT talk

Wednesday, November 4, 2015 - 20:28

What: "Finding Yourself, Not Losing Yourself in the Workplace" with Pier 1 Imports executive Catherine David and research expert Kirthi Kalyanam – A frank conversation about how to be true to yourself and still be successful in the workplace. The talk closes the University of North Texas Executive + Scholar Series for the Fall 2015 semester.

When/Where: 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 16 (Monday) in the ballroom of UNT's Gateway Center, 801 North Texas Blvd. in Denton.

Cost: $50 for the general public and $25 for non-UNT college students. UNT students attend for free with student ID. Cost includes parking.

Contact: Lisa Wallace at 940-369-7051 or Lisa.Wallace@unt.edu.

DENTON (UNT), Texas — Target, Kirkland's and most recently Pier 1 Imports: Catherine "Cathy" David has spent her 30-year career as a retail executive with big names, and now David is imparting her experience to the next generation. As part of the University of North Texas Executive + Scholar Series, David will share how she became a successful leader by being true to herself in the workplace and recognizing her value.

David, the executive vice president of merchandising for Fort Worth-based Pier 1 Imports, will be joined by Kirthi Kalyanam, the J.C. Penney Research Professor at Santa Clara University in California and director of the university's Retail Management Institute. Kalyanam will elaborate on David's conversation with insights into leadership traits he has observed among the top Silicon Valley executives.

"Finding Yourself, Not Losing Yourself in the Workplace" takes place from 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 16 (Monday) in the ballroom of UNT's Gateway Center, which is located at 801 North Texas Blvd. in Denton. Tickets cost $50 for the general public and $25 for non-UNT college students. UNT students attend for free with student ID. The cost includes parking. For tickets, contact 940-369-7051 or Lisa.Wallace@unt.edu.

Sponsored by the Global Digital Retailing Research Center, the series was created in 2013 by the UNT College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism.

About Catherine "Cathy" David

A 30-year veteran of retailing, Cathy David was named executive vice president of merchandising for Pier 1 Imports in 2009. Since then, she has been credited with contributing to the company's turnaround and success. She has served in executive level positions with a number of retailers, including Target, where she led the team that launched target.com; Kirkland's, where she served as president and chief operating officer; and The Great Indoors. In her roles, she has used her retail expertise to lead groups for merchandising, planning, marketing, store teams and buying.

About Kirthi Kalyanam

A leading researcher, scholar and author, Kirthi Kalyanam's expertise lies in retailing; e-commerce; and online, database and multi-channel marketing. Before joining Santa Clara University, he served as a guest faculty member, and later, a visiting professor at Stanford University. Prior to that, he was the senior vice president and chief marketing officer of SpinCircuit, Inc. Throughout his career, he has advised and consulted numerous businesses and early stage startups, including Comscore Networks, Kiwi Networks and AAFES. His recent publications include "The Perfect Message at the Perfect Moment" and "When is the New What" in the Harvard Business Review.

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