Richard Baker ’88, Governor and Executive Chairman of Hudson’s Bay Company will be coming to Cornell on Thursday to deliver a talk to Baker Program in Real Estate students on his experience and thoughts on the retail and real estate sectors.
Baker founded NRDC Equity Partners in 2006 with his father Robert, William Mack, and Lee Neibart. Since then, the firm has proceeded in buying and managing several large, high-profile retail companies, starting with Lord & Taylor in 2006. Baker and partners acquired the The Hudson’s Bay Company in 2008, then Saks Fifth Avenue in 2013. Most recently last year through HBC (which they took public in 2012), the company announced a deal to purchase German retailer Galeria Kaufhof, and earlier this year, closed on the acquisition of GILT, an innovative online shopping destination.
Baker is uniquely experienced to provide his latest thoughts on the trends and future of retail, and how real estate interrelates to the sector. Baker students have the chance to hear from a variety of speakers each week through the Distinguished Speaker Series, and this week will be a special treat.
Richard and his wife Lisa graciously endowed the program in 2012 with a gift of $11 M to further the field of real estate at Cornell University.
