Dawn Robertson

Partner | CEO, WHYZ Partners | OCM, a Spire Capital Portfolio Company

Dawn Robertson has been leading companies for more than 30 years both in the U.S. and internationally. She has been a global business leader for major retailers and wholesale companies, holding positions such as president of Old Navy and managing director of Myer Department Stores, the largest store in Australia where she developed and executed a new strategy for the $3.2 billion department store and sold the company to a private equity firm, beating all market expectations on sale price. She started Macys.com and Bloomingdales.com, and led Sean John, a private high growth wholesale and retail company founded by Sean “Diddy” Combs, where she successfully negotiated an exclusive relationship with Macys.

As president and CEO of Avenue, a large-size women’s, 450- store chain, she successfully sold the company to a private equity firm after a new strategy was developed. Dawn led Stein Mart, a 310-store retailer and most recently has started a business consulting company, Collective Growth, with 11 other partners.

Dawn is a board director on three boards: a private equity-backed company, a second stage start up online service company and Theatre East, an up-and- coming theater company in New York City.

She is also a partner at retail consulting firm WHYZ Partners; CEO of OCM, a Spire Capital company; was a trustee at the Harvey School in Katonah, NY for many years; a founding member of the Board of Advisors for the school of Human Sciences and Business at Auburn University; a member of Women in the Boardroom; chief executive of Women of Australia; a director of Maven LLC; a director of Theatre East in New York, N.Y.; and a professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology.