Leslie H. Wexner, Founder of Limited Brands, started the company in Columbus, Ohio in 1963 withone store and first year sales of $160,000.
Mr. Wexner serves as Chairman, President and CEO of Limited Brands, which operates 3,015 storesincluding Victoria's Secret, Pink, Bath & Body Works, C.O. Bigelow, La Senza, White Barn CandleCo. and Henri Bendel. The company's products are also available online at www.VictoriasSecret.com, www.BathandBodyWorks.com, www.HenriBendel.com and www.LaSenza.com. Sales for LimitedBrands in 2008 were $9 billion.
His areas of community interest include the Wexner Center for the Arts at The Ohio StateUniversity; the Wexner Institute for Pediatric Research at Children's Hospital, Columbus; theMartin Luther King Center for the Performing Arts, Columbus; and the Wexner Heritage Village. Mr. Wexner was a recipient of The Alexis de Tocqueville Society Award of the United Way of America,Woodrow Wilson Award for Citizenship, Ordre des arts et des letters, Knight of the Italian Republicand The American Jewish Committee Herbert H. Lehman Centennial Leadership Award. He was afounding member and the first chair of The Ohio State University Foundation.
Mr. Wexner is a Trustee, The Ohio State University Board of Trustees; Member of the AmericanAcademy of Arts and Sciences; Member of the Visiting Committee of the Kennedy School of Governmentat Harvard University; Trustee of the Columbus Jewish Federation and Foundation; Member of theRoyal Shakespeare Company International Council; Member of the John Glenn School of Public Affairs;and Chairman of The Columbus Partnership.
Mr. Wexner has a profound interest in the development of tomorrow's leaders through the works ofthe Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University; Harvard University's Center for PublicLeadership; and The Wexner Foundation.
Mr. Wexner holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration from The Ohio State University andhonorary degrees from The Ohio State University; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; University ofTel Aviv; Hofstra University; Marietta College; Hebrew Union College; The Jewish TheologicalSeminary of America; Yeshiva University; and Brandeis University. Mr. Wexner was inauguratedby Harvard University into the Society of John Harvard Fellows, and serves as a visiting lecturerat Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
Mr. Wexner and his wife, Abigail, are the parents of four children.
