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Bonnie Brooks

Former President of Hudson's Bay Company

Former President of Hudson's Bay Company

Travels From Travels From:
Toronto, Canada
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Bonnie Brooks Biography

Bonnie Brooks has restored one of North America’s greatest department stores, Hudson’s Bay Co., to its rightful place as a world-class retailer. As its first female CEO, Brooks led The Bay through sweeping, institutional changes—no small feat—that revitalized one of the planet’s oldest brands. Stylish and thoughtful, she speaks on leadership, innovation, turnaround, and the meeting of creativity and commerce.

In February 2014, Brooks was appointed Vice Chairman of Hudson’s Bay Company, the world’s oldest continuously operating company, which owns and operates Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord and Taylor in the USA, and, of course, Hudson’s Bay department stores in Canada. Prior to her current role, Brooks was President and CEO of HBC; and before she oversaw the company’s successful turnaround, Brooks was based in Hong Kong, where she revitalized another iconic retailer, Asia’s Lane Crawford, helming 500 stores across nine Asian countries.

Brooks has also served as Editor-in-Chief of Flare, Canada’s largest fashion magazine, and Executive VP of Holt Renfrew, where she brought many major American and European designer brands to Canada. She is one of Monocle’s Top 25 Retailers worldwide and one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business. She has received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal for philanthropy, and is a member of the American Marketing Association Marketing Hall of Legends. In October 2014, she became the first woman to receive the prestigious Ivey Business Leader of the Year Award.

Brooks is Chaiman of the Board of Trustees of the ROM, appointed by the Premier of Ontario, a member of the Board of Directors for Empire Company Limited, Rogers Communications, and Abercrombie & Fitch. Brooks holds an MBA from the University of Western Ontario and was the Parsons School of Design Honoree in 2013.

Bonnie Brooks Speaking Topics

  • Creativity Meets Commerce Meets Profit

    Throughout her career, from fashion stylist, writer and merchandiser to Vice Chairman of the Hudson's Bay Company, Bonnie Brooks has mixed both the creative and commercial aspects of the business and transformed them into a new "skill set"—which can be a rare and valuable combination—for gaining competitive advantage. Drawing on her decades in the fashion industry, Brooks shows how new innovations and advantages can arise from the fruitful collision of commerce, art, and design. A successful company can no longer focus solely on the more traditional business aspects. Unfettered creativity, visual thinking, and other innovative measures gleaned from various artistic fields must work in tandem with corporate strategies. Brooks provides insights how to combine these two seemingly disparate elements into a harmonious and profitable whole.

  • Women and Leadership

    Bonnie Brooks exemplifies what women can achieve, on their own terms, in the corporate world. She is the only woman to receive Ivey's prestigious Business Leader of the Year Award, and, she was the first female President of the Hudson's Bay Company leading its turnaround, from 2008 to 2014. Speaking directly to women executives, board members, and managers, and to the people aspiring to these roles, she imparts lessons on leadership, decision-making, and work-life balance. Taking audiences on her globe-spanning career—from Executive Vice President of Holt Renfrew, Editor of Flare, and CEO of the Bay in Canada; to Lane Crawford in Asia; to HBC's acquisition of Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord and Taylor in the States—Brooks shares the wisdom she's accumulated as an inspirational female executive. “If you can dream it,” Brooks implores, “you can do it.” And her career, still going strong, bears this out, time and again.

  • Turnaround at The Bay: How Bonnie Brooks Revitalized Canada's Iconic Retailer

    Some said Hudson's Bay Company couldn’t be saved. By 2008, the world's oldest continuously running company was out of steam. With sales plummeting, and morale low, the brand had lost its lustre. Then, Bonnie Brooks took the helm. As the first female CEO and President of Hudson's Bay she brought sweeping and transformative changes. HBC was repositioned and transformed across Canada, it merged with Lord and Taylor in the USA, and its successful IPO fueled the acquisition of Saks Fifth Avenue. The buzz grew, profits surged, and the brand was restored. In the end, HBC's turnaround, achieved under enormous pressure, overshot all expectations. How did Brooks revitalize HBC? And what can your company learn from her success? Weaving the story of The Bay with her "turnaround" and career stories, Brooks talks, with charming ease and practical insights, about what it takes to grow and lead—and change—any organization. What is your company's actual vision? Can you articulate it clearly, tangibly? In a talk that encompasses leadership, marketing, strategy, and much else, Brooks offers a practical, stylish, and wholly optimistic view of best business practices.

Bonnie Brooks Videos

FAQs on booking Bonnie Brooks

  • How do I book Bonnie Brooks to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Bonnie Brooks for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Bonnie Brooks, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Bonnie Brooks or any other speaker of your choice.
  • What are the speaker fees for Bonnie Brooks

    Speaking fees for Bonnie Brooks, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Bonnie Brooks are for live events and for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Bonnie Brooks, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Bonnie Brooks speak about?

    Bonnie Brooks is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Fashion, Female Leadership, Leadership, Lifestyle.
  • Where does Bonnie Brooks travel from?

    Bonnie Brooks generally travels from Toronto, Canada, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
  • Who is Bonnie Brooks’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Bonnie Brooks for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Bonnie Brooks for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Bonnie Brooks or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

Bonnie Brooks is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Creativity Meets Commerce Meets Profit, Women and Leadership and Turnaround at The Bay: How Bonnie Brooks Revitalized Canada's Iconic Retailer. The estimated speaking fee range to book Bonnie Brooks for your event is available upon request. Bonnie Brooks generally travels from TorontoCanada and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Alyse Gaulin, Celeste Burgoyne, Margaret Josephs, Bob Bland and Sandra Lopez. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Bonnie Brooks for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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