EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP.
CHARLES "CHUCK" WILLIAMS
Founder
October 2, 1915- December 5, 2015
Born Oct. 2, 1915, Williams came by his love of cooking by baking with his grandmother in her Jacksonville, Florida, kitchen. The Great Depression took the family to Southern California, to which Williams returned after serving as a mechanic with the Army during World War II. A golf trip with friends introduced him to Sonoma, and, enamored with the then-sleepy town, Williams relocated there in 1947.
Inspired by a fateful trip to Paris with fellow food enthusiasts, Williams purchased the Sonoma Hardware store in 1956 and began offering Americans the kind of high-quality cookware and culinary tools he'd admired in France. The store proved an instant success, and in 1958 Williams-Sonoma relocated to San Francisco. With the publication of Julia Childs' classic "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," America's taste for haute cuisine exploded, and Williams-Sonoma's fortunes rose, with another major expansion of the San Francisco store and a flourishing catalog business.
Williams sold the company in 1979, but he remained closely involved in many crucial facets of the business up until his death, such as his authorship of many titles in the company's noted cookbook line.
"He worked on over 50 titles that have sold over 100 million copies worldwide," said Patrick Connolly, executive vice president of Williams-Sonoma, to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Lauded with numerous awards over his career, including spots in the Halls of Fame for both the Culinary Institute of America and the Direct Marketing Association and a lifetime achievement award from the James Beard Foundation, Williams is lauded by many for helping to revolutionize and diversify American cooking.
"With his impeccable taste and unique talent for selecting the right products at the right time, he built a powerful brand that inspired a cultural revolution around food and had immeasurable impact on home and family life around the world," said Janet Hayes, Williams-Sonoma brand president.
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Founder
October 2, 1915- December 5, 2015
Born Oct. 2, 1915, Williams came by his love of cooking by baking with his grandmother in her Jacksonville, Florida, kitchen. The Great Depression took the family to Southern California, to which Williams returned after serving as a mechanic with the Army during World War II. A golf trip with friends introduced him to Sonoma, and, enamored with the then-sleepy town, Williams relocated there in 1947.
Inspired by a fateful trip to Paris with fellow food enthusiasts, Williams purchased the Sonoma Hardware store in 1956 and began offering Americans the kind of high-quality cookware and culinary tools he'd admired in France. The store proved an instant success, and in 1958 Williams-Sonoma relocated to San Francisco. With the publication of Julia Childs' classic "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," America's taste for haute cuisine exploded, and Williams-Sonoma's fortunes rose, with another major expansion of the San Francisco store and a flourishing catalog business.
Williams sold the company in 1979, but he remained closely involved in many crucial facets of the business up until his death, such as his authorship of many titles in the company's noted cookbook line.
"He worked on over 50 titles that have sold over 100 million copies worldwide," said Patrick Connolly, executive vice president of Williams-Sonoma, to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Lauded with numerous awards over his career, including spots in the Halls of Fame for both the Culinary Institute of America and the Direct Marketing Association and a lifetime achievement award from the James Beard Foundation, Williams is lauded by many for helping to revolutionize and diversify American cooking.
"With his impeccable taste and unique talent for selecting the right products at the right time, he built a powerful brand that inspired a cultural revolution around food and had immeasurable impact on home and family life around the world," said Janet Hayes, Williams-Sonoma brand president.
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LAURA ALBER
President, Chief Executive Officer
Laura Alber is Williams-Sonoma, Inc.’s President and Chief Executive Officer, and was elected to the Board effective May 2010. She is responsible for setting the company’s strategic direction, keeping its 20,000-plus associates focused on delivering world-class service to its customers, and delivering on the company’s mission to enhance its customers’ lives at home.
Ms. Alber is a retail executive who blends a merchandising point of view with brand development and a global vision. She joined Williams-Sonoma, Inc. in 1995 as a Senior Buyer for the Pottery Barn brand, and since that time has held numerous brand management and executive roles within the company, including: President, Pottery Barn Brands; Executive Vice President, Pottery Barn Merchandising; and Senior Vice President Pottery Barn Catalog and Pottery Barn Kids Retail.
President, Chief Executive Officer
Laura Alber is Williams-Sonoma, Inc.’s President and Chief Executive Officer, and was elected to the Board effective May 2010. She is responsible for setting the company’s strategic direction, keeping its 20,000-plus associates focused on delivering world-class service to its customers, and delivering on the company’s mission to enhance its customers’ lives at home.
Ms. Alber is a retail executive who blends a merchandising point of view with brand development and a global vision. She joined Williams-Sonoma, Inc. in 1995 as a Senior Buyer for the Pottery Barn brand, and since that time has held numerous brand management and executive roles within the company, including: President, Pottery Barn Brands; Executive Vice President, Pottery Barn Merchandising; and Senior Vice President Pottery Barn Catalog and Pottery Barn Kids Retail.
DEAN MILLER
Chief Operating Officer
Dean Miller is Executive Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer and oversees the company’s Distribution, Logistics, and Manufacturing, in addition to its Customer Care Centers.
Mr. Miller is the architect behind the company’s distribution and transportation strategies, which are the foundation of the company’s supply chain network. He is currently leading the company’s “gold-standard” quality initiative in the furniture supply chain, which is continually improving product quality and service, while reducing customer returns, replacements, and damages.
Prior to joining the company, Mr. Miller served as Vice President and General Manager of Global Accounts for UPS Worldwide Logistics. His extensive logistics background has earned him key managerial positions with Frito Lay and Exel Logistics.
Mr. Miller holds a B.A. in Business Administration and political science from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio and an MBA in Marketing and Operations/Logistics from The Ohio State University.
Chief Operating Officer
Dean Miller is Executive Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer and oversees the company’s Distribution, Logistics, and Manufacturing, in addition to its Customer Care Centers.
Mr. Miller is the architect behind the company’s distribution and transportation strategies, which are the foundation of the company’s supply chain network. He is currently leading the company’s “gold-standard” quality initiative in the furniture supply chain, which is continually improving product quality and service, while reducing customer returns, replacements, and damages.
Prior to joining the company, Mr. Miller served as Vice President and General Manager of Global Accounts for UPS Worldwide Logistics. His extensive logistics background has earned him key managerial positions with Frito Lay and Exel Logistics.
Mr. Miller holds a B.A. in Business Administration and political science from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio and an MBA in Marketing and Operations/Logistics from The Ohio State University.
STEVE ANDERSON
Executive Vice President, Regional Operations
Since joining Williams-Sonoma, Inc. eleven years ago, customer service has been at the core of everything he and his team achieve on a daily basis. Through his vision and leadership, his role in managing WSI’s Regional Operations functions has grown from a simple one-facility operation to a network that spans across the United States and beyond.
Through Mr. Anderson's leadership, a once simple operation has developed into a multi-functional network with both internal and external providers delivering outstanding service results to our customers. Our Regional Operations team strives to consistently finds the ways and means to improve the speed of delivery to our customers, both internal (stores) and external, while lowering our operating costs.
Executive Vice President, Regional Operations
Since joining Williams-Sonoma, Inc. eleven years ago, customer service has been at the core of everything he and his team achieve on a daily basis. Through his vision and leadership, his role in managing WSI’s Regional Operations functions has grown from a simple one-facility operation to a network that spans across the United States and beyond.
Through Mr. Anderson's leadership, a once simple operation has developed into a multi-functional network with both internal and external providers delivering outstanding service results to our customers. Our Regional Operations team strives to consistently finds the ways and means to improve the speed of delivery to our customers, both internal (stores) and external, while lowering our operating costs.