The Leadership Lectures feature world-class, accomplished and influential leaders with expertise ranging from business and philanthropy to public service and academic research. Through the Lectures we hope to allow our community to have access to the expertise, advice and best practices of some the world’s foremost leadership minds and so the lectures are free and open to the public.
Lecture
Presenter
- George Feldenkreis
George Feldenkreis is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Perry Ellis International, a Doral-based apparel firm he founded and built into a multinational corporation with annual global retail sales approaching $2 billion. Born in Cuba to Eastern European immigrants, George earned a law degree from the University of Havana before fleeing to Miami in February 1961 with only $700 and a passable grasp of English. In 1967 he formed Supreme International, a company that imported children’s school uniforms and men’s sportswear from Japan. After going public in 1993 and purchasing the rights to the Perry Ellis trademark six years later, Supreme International changed its name to Perry Ellis International. Today the company employs more than 2,600 people and has offices, stores and sourcing operations around the world. An accomplished philanthropist, George and his wife, Mariita Feldenkreis, are members of the United Way’s Million Dollar Roundtable.
Mr. Feldenkreis’ talk will detail how capable business leaders tend to be self-aware, able to learn from criticism and unwilling to compromise their ideals. Finally, there will be an exploration of the challenges businesspeople should be prepared to overcome, insight on staying focused in the face of adversity, and an assertion that ethical decision-making, decisive leadership and taking calculated risks can positively impact an organization.
The Leadership Lectures are presented with the generous support of Amerant Bank.
We would also like to thank our university partner, FIU Honors College for their support.
