Wayfair’s Niraj Shah and Steve Conine, Ulta Beauty’s Mary Dillon, Libbey’s William Foley to Receive Honors
ROSEMONT, IL (Jan. 31, 2019)—Wayfair co-founders Niraj Shah and Steve Conine, Ulta Beauty CEO Mary Dillon and William A. Foley, chairman & CEO, Libbey, will be honored for their philanthropic endeavors by the Housewares Charity Foundation (HCF) during its annual Housewares Cares Charity Gala on Monday, March 4 during the 2019 International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago.
Shah and Conine will receive the Humanitarian of the Year Award; Dillon will receive the Legacy Humanitarian Award; and Foley will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Gala, which will be held at Navy Pier, will start with a reception at 5:30 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), the HCF’s legacy charity as well as the James Beard Foundation. Since the first gala in 1998, HCF has raised more than $50 million and has been credited with donating more than $29 million to BCRF. Since 2000, HCF has funded 120 BCRF research projects. Over the years, housewares-supported breast cancer advances have included:
- Identification of new therapeutic targets in aggressive breast cancers.
- Advancing new combination therapies in patients with breast cancers caused by BRCA mutations.
- Identifying new approaches to counter drug resistant breast cancer.
- Development of new imaging tool to select patients for anti-metabolism drugs that block tumor growth.
Co-chairs for the 2019 event are Phil Brandl and Peter Cameron, Farberware/Acuity Management.
The star-studded evening will include auctions and entertainment, along with the honoree tributes. In partnership with the James Beard Foundation, the Gala will begin with a reception featuring the 2019 All-Star Chef Line-up including Rick Bayless, Frontera; Abe Conlon, Fat Rice; Joe Flamm, Spiaggia Restaurant; Meg Galus, BOKA; Andrea Reusing, The Durham; Sarah Rinkavage; Paul Virant, Vie Restaurant and Greg Wade, Publican Quality Bread. Dinner will feature a three-course meal designed by Tony Mantuano, chef/partner, Spiaggia Restaurant.
Conine serves as Wayfair’s co-chairman and leads the innovations that give Wayfair a technological edge in the online retail business – from building Wayfair’s software systems in the early years to leveraging next-generation technologies such as augmented reality and artificial intelligence. Prior to that, he was a co-founder, board member and chief technology officer at Simplify Mobile. Before starting Simplify Mobile, Conine served as COO for the London office of iXL, and he also co-founded and served as a top executive of Spinners Incorporated. He also currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for CarGurus, a leading global online automotive marketplace.
Mary Dillon joined Ulta Beauty as chief executive officer in July 2013, bringing extensive experience leading consumer-driven brands to the role, as well as a passion for leveraging consumer insights and customer-focused strategies to build brand engagement. Under Dillon’s strategic direction, Ulta Beauty has achieved record sales and earnings and excellent momentum in its e-commerce business. She leads an associate base of more than 40,000, 92 percent of whom are women. Dillon was named #9 on Fortune Magazine’s 2018 Business Person of the Year list. She also serves on the board of directors of Starbucks Corporation and KKR, Inc. Dillon championed the establishment of the Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation in 2016 and has continued to strengthen the company’s longstanding partnership with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Under her leadership, Ulta Beauty has become one of BCRF’s top three corporate partners, engaging its guests, associates and business partners in raising more than $27.5 million since 2009. Dillon is passionate about giving back through her involvement in a number of nonprofit, civic and industry organizations including serving as a board member for Save the Children, as the vice chair for the Retail Industry Leaders Association and on the civic committee of The Commercial Club of Chicago.
William A. Foley was appointed chairman and CEO of Libbey Inc., one of the world’s largest glass tableware manufacturers, in January 2016, after serving as an independent chairman of the board since August 2011 and as a director of the company since 1994. In addition to his leadership position at Libbey, Foley serves as an independent director on the board of directors at Myers Industries Inc., a diversified, international plastics manufacturer of returnable packaging, storage and safety products and specialty molding. He also serves as the president of the Indiana University Student Foundation Board of Associates, a position he has held for more than five years. Previously, Foley served as chairman and CEO of Blonder Accents, LLC since June 2011 and chairman and CEO of Blonder Company from 2008 to 2011. During his career, Foley has held many senior leadership positions, including president and director, Arhaus, Inc.; co-founder, Learning Dimensions LLC; chairman and CEO, LESCO Inc.; and chairman and CEO, Think Well Inc. He also served as vice president and general manager for The Scotts Company, Consumer Division, and vice president and general manager of Rubbermaid Inc.’s Specialty Products Division. Foley spent the first 14 years of his career with Anchor Hocking Corp. in various positions, including vice president, sales and marketing.
BCRF was founded by Evelyn H. Lauder in 1993. Ms. Lauder, a champion for advancing the world’s most promising research to eradicate breast cancer, passed away in November 2012 in New York City.
To purchase tickets for the gala or for more information about the HCF, its honorees and its charities, please visit www.housewares.org/show/charity or contact Paul Murphy at 508.272.0717 or [email protected].