Michael Gilson is an international retail executive with over 30 years in the fashion, apparel, and home industry. Mr. Gilson is the Chief Executive Officer at Cormac Advisory Services LLC. CAS offers a full range of consulting services to retail, e-commerce, and wholesale businesses, including end-to-end product development capabilities. Prior to founding CAS, he served as Vice President of Private Brands, Strategy, and Global Sourcing Operations for Hudson’s Bay Company (parent of Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Galeria Kaufhof). At HBC, he was responsible for corporate social responsibility and spearheaded several joint initiatives with manufacturers focusing on women’s rights, safety, and health issues. Under Mr. Gilson’s direction, his team collaborated with garment factories in Guangdong, China, and the Health Enables Return, HERproject, to help improve the lives and wellbeing of female factory workers abroad. Mr. Gilson served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Smart Apparel US, a men’s design and wholesale company, where he oversaw corporate offices as well as design, product development, logistics, corporate social responsibility, and manufacturing operations in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States. Mr. Gilson worked for over 20 years at May Merchandising Company and May Department Stores International, where he ultimately advanced to Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. His resume includes stints at Deloitte and Berdon LLP as a senior audit manager. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Adelphi University in New York, where he graduated Cum Laude. In addition, he is an accredited Certified Public Accountant. Additionally, Mr. Gilson serves on several boards, including Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production, an independent, objective, non-profit team of global social compliance experts; LIM College, a school devoted to the business of fashion; World Affairs Council and the Gerson Lehrman Group. Mr. Gilson lived in St. Louis, Mo., Hong Kong, and now resides in New York.