ROSEMONT, Ill. (July 7, 2009)—Mike George, president and CEO of QVC®, Inc., one of the world’s largest multimedia retailers, will receive the Lifetime Humanitarian Award from the Housewares Charity Foundation (HCF) in 2010, the HCF announced today. George will be honored at the 13th Annual Housewares Charity Foundation Gala on Monday evening, March 15, during the 2010 International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago.
George joined QVC in November 2005 and is responsible for QVC’s live television broadcast (reaching 167 million homes worldwide), QVC.com and QVC International. He came to QVC from Dell, Inc., where he was the chief marketing officer and general manager of its $8 billion U.S. consumer business. Prior to Dell, George was a senior partner at McKinsey & Co., Inc. He is a passionate fundraiser and a strong supporter of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), HCF’s legacy charity.
Co-chairs for the 2010 event are Phil Brandl, president of the International Housewares Association, and Mary Campbell, senior vice president of merchandising at QVC. In a collaborative effort among industry manufacturers, retailers and allied industry partners, the non-profit Foundation hosts this annual event to raise funds for critical causes, unite the housewares industry and honor its leaders. Honorees are selected for their humanitarian efforts and exceptional leadership.
Since the first gala in 1998, HCF has raised more than $17 million and has contributed more than $8 million to BCRF. In 2009, amidst the most challenging of economic times, HCF raised a record amount of more than $2.3 million at its 12th Annual Gala in March during the International Home + Housewares Show.
The evening, which offered a unique dining concept featuring celebrity chefs, also set record attendance with 1,100 people attending the gala, which honored two retail champions for their philanthropy and leadership in the housewares industry. Tim Adams, chairman & CEO, Macy’s Home Store, received the Lifetime Humanitarian Award, and Lyn Kirby, president & CEO, Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc., received the Creativity Leadership Award.
Along with silent and live auctions, the evening featured a once-in-a-lifetime culinary experience through a partnership with the James Beard Foundation. Six celebrity chefs prepared the food served, from the cocktail reception hosted by Grant Achatz of Alinea to the finishing dessert by Art Smith of Table Fifty-two. For the dinner, the ballroom was broken into quadrants and each section was served an appetizer and specialty entrée prepared by a different chef: Rick & Deann Bayless of Frontera Grill, Paul Kahan of Blackbird, Tony Mantuano of Spiaggia or Bruce Sherman of North Pond.
The 2010 gala will be held Monday, March 15, in Chicago and, once again, will feature the celebrity chefs and auctions. For more information about the HCF, its honorees and its charities, please visit www.housewarescharity.org or contact Paul Murphy at 508.272.0717 or [email protected].
EDITOR’S NOTE: Click here to download a photo of Mike George
