Cathy Linder - WithIt · Cathy Linder chucklesthatshestartedhercareerinmarketinganddelighting...

Cathy Linder chuckles that she started her career in marketing and delightingconsumers at age 10 in her parents’ retail clothing business in Charleston, W.Va. Herfirst job was “Bow Machine Operator” (in those days, gift package bows were hand-made from a ribbon spool contraption) for which she earned 50 cents per day andlunch on the weekends! She eventually graduated to the selling floor, but not untilproving her worth at every step. That early grounding in the value of unrewarded hardwork and mastering tactical lessons on how to win customer loyalty have served herthroughout her career.

In her current position as Director of Marketing Research at Tempur-Pedic, Cathybrings a background in brand management and marketing research from a variety ofcompanies and categories; including Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, JamesRiver/Georgia Pacific and Union Carbide as well as marketing research consultingpositions with Groups Plus, Inc. and Marketing Corporation of America. She holds aM.B.A. in Marketing from Columbia Business School and a B.A. in Management &Sociology from Simmons College.

At Tempur-Pedic, she is engaged in all areas of global marketing research thatleverage the voice of the consumer into technology innovation, product development,brand communications, retail and web selling strategies and consumer trend andtracking analytics. She is facilitating new ways to apply consumer research methodsand disciplines to the growth and expansion of Tempur-Pedic’s primary product lines– mattresses and pillows – driving toward a deeper understanding of the beddingconsumer and what delivers their sustainable satisfaction and loyalty.

Cathy’s non-professional interests include keeping pace with her three collegeand post-college “Millennial” sons, film and musical theatre, travel and gardening. Shehas held executive Board positions with the Junior League of Stamford-Norwalk (CT),Norwalk Community and Technical College, Columbia Alumni Network, Sayre School(KY) and a variety of school and church volunteer leadership positions. She lives withher husband, Rolf, in Lexington, Ky.

Cathy LinderDirector, Marketing ResearchTempur-Pedic International

1713 Jaggie Fox WayLexington, KY 40511office: 859.259.0754

catherine.linder@tempurpedic.comwww.tempurpedic.com

2011 WithIt Professional Conference 2125 Eastchester Drive Suite 103 • High Point, NC 27265 • 336.882.9372 • www.withit.org

ProfilesinLeadership

CathyLinderDirector,Marke3ngResearchTempur‐PedicNorthAmerica

Will:InspireYou!

Won’t:LectureYou!

Leadershipiseasiertoexercisethanyouthink.It’smostlyanaHtudetostandup,showyourcolorsandthenwillfullyactonyourconvic3onsconsistently,especiallyinthecompanyofyourcri3cs.Thechallengetoleadisinfrontofyoueveryday….notonlyinthelarge,seriousconsequen3al

decisions…butintheeverydaysmallones.

MyPhilosophy:

And…greatleadersdon’thavetobeLOUD….andtheyknow

howtosurvivefailure.

10LeadershipProfiles•   AllAmericanWomen•   OurContemporaries….allalivebut1•   DiverseFields:  Business  PoliAcs  Entertainment  Arts&Architecture  Military  Entrepreneurs

10LeadershipTraitsConvicAonCourageGoals

Self‐ConfidencePerseverance

VisionUnconvenAonalReinvenAonIndependenceImmersion

CarolynMcCarthySingularConvicAon

4‐TermCongresswomaninU.S.HouseofRepresenta3ves,NewYork4thDistrictsince1996.WasaLPNbeforehusbandkilledandsonseverelyinjuredbyrandomactofgunviolenceonNYcommutertrain.6killed,18injured.Electedas&con3nuestobefierceadvocateofguncontrol.Carolynisdyslexic.

COLSylvia“Stoneface”Moran

Re3redin2011fromtheUSArmyaaera35yearmilitarycareer.Graduatedfromfirst1976WestPointclasstoincludewomen.Oneofmosthighlydecoratedofficersofhergenera3on.Servedinhighlycompe33veAirborne&MilitaryIntelligence.

UnflinchingCourage

AnnFudgeSeOngBreakthroughGoals

34yearmanagementcareerbeganinmarke3ngatGeneralMills.WasPresidentof$5BKraaFoodsdivision.FormerCEOofYoung&RubicamAdver3sing.CurrentlyDirectorof8Fortune500Companies.Oneoffirst1977femaleandwomen‐of‐colorgraduatesofHarvardBusinessSchool.Wasmarriedandhadfirstchildbeforegraduatedcollege.

KatyPerryUnbridledSelf‐Confidence

26yearoldsinger,songwriter,actress.Releasedfirstgospelalbumatage17aaeroneyearofhighschoolandGED.Strivesfortotalar3s3ccontrolandselfmanagement.Firstar3stinhistorytospendoneyear,52consecu3veweeks,intop10ofBillboardHot100.

BarbaraJordanPerseveranceAgainstAllOdds

FirstAfrican‐AmericanwomanelectedtoTexasSenate(1966)andUSHouseofRepresenta3ves(1972).ChampionedCivilRights,Vo3ngRights,Immigra3onReform.FullprofessoratUT17yrsbeforedeathin1996.WonPresiden3alMedalofFreedomandmanyotherhonors.Sufferedfrommul3plesclerosisen3republiclife.

MaryWellsLawrencePowerofCreaAveVision

BorninYoungstown.startedascopywriterMcCannErikson1953,re3red1998asfounder&CEOofWellsRichGreene.FirstwomantoownamajorMadisonAveagency.Shecreated:PlopPlop,FizzFizzIcan'tbelieveIatethewholethingTryit,You'llLikeitINewYorkTrusttheMidasTouchAtAtFord,,QualityisJob1FlickYourBicRaiseYourHandifYou'reSure

Oneof2008Foundersof

wowOwow.comMuseforPeggyon

MegWhitmanTheUnconvenAonalPaidOff

Startedblue‐chipcareeratP&Gin1979,rapidlyrisingstaratDisney,Bain,HasbrobeforetakingriskyleapasEbayCOEin1998.Mostadvisedheragainstit.In10yrs,grewEbayfrom30employees&$4Mrevenueto15,000&$8Brevenue.In2009ranforgovernorofCalfwinningprimarybutdefeatedin2010byJerryBrown.Networth$1.5B.

JudithJamisonArAstReinvented

PrincipaldancerandchoreographerfortheAlvinAileyDanceCompanyfrom1965to1980.NamedAr3s3cDirector1989andheldmgmtroleun3l2011re3rement.Wonnumerousawards,KennedyCenter,Nat’lArts,Emmy.

MayaLinFearlessIndependence

OneofgreatestAmericanarchitectsandsculptors.WonCommissionforVietnamMemorial1981atage21whileanundergradatYale.Concepthighlycontroversial&defendedinfrontofUSCongress.Withstoodcri3cswhoopposedherAsianheritage.Shebelievesshewouldnothavewonifsubmissionshadn’tbeen“blind”.

KimKnopfTotalImmersion

Kim&Karrie

Anintrepidentrepreneur,KimstartedIMSinatage23in1983with$25K,growingtocurrent115storesin4states.She100%personifiesthebusiness–involvingherfamilytohelpdelivertrust,valueandqualitytoeverycustomer–anddrivefuturegrowth.

InClosing:WhyShouldWeLead?•   Tocontrolourownlives

•   Toinspireandteachothers

•   Tolearnhowtofailandrecover

•   Toallowourselvestogrow

ReadingList•   BarbaraJordan:AmericanHero,byMaryBethRogers:Bantam,2000

•   “AnnFudge:WayBeyondtheGlassCeiling”,byJudithH.Dobrzyski,TheNewYorkTimes,May11,1995.jrank.orgbio

•   ABigLife(inAdverCsing),byMaryWellsLawrence,AlfredA.Knopf,2002

•   “KatyPerryMakesHot100History–TiesMichaelJackson’sRecord”,August16,2011,Billboard.com

•   “Whitman:100BestPerformingCEOsintheWorld”,HarvardBusinessReview.January,2010

•   MayaLin:AStrongClearVision,InternetMovieDatabase,1994

•   Who'sWhoinWestVirginiaBusiness2008Winner:KimKnopfhup://statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=46565&ca3d=172

Notes

ThankYou!”