Christiana Smith Shi's Biography

Early Career and Education

Christiana Smith Shi began her academic journey at Stanford University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Economics. She then pursued an MBA at Harvard Business School, where she was recognized as a Baker Scholar for her academic excellence. After completing her MBA, Shi joined Merrill Lynch & Co. as an Associate, where she worked from September 1981 to August 1984, laying the foundation for her career in business1 2.

Transition into the Industry

Shi's first significant industry role was at McKinsey & Company, where she started in September 1986. Over her 24-year tenure, she became a Senior Partner, providing strategic vision and leadership to Fortune 200 consumer companies across various continents. Her work at McKinsey set the stage for her later accomplishments in the consumer and retail sectors3.

Career Development and Leadership Roles

In 2010, Shi transitioned to Nike Inc., where she began as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Global Direct-to-Consumer. She was responsible for overseeing global operations, including store operations, real estate, finance, supply chain operations, and IT. Her strategic move to become VP of Nike.com in April 2012, despite appearing as a lateral or even backward step, was driven by her foresight into the digital space's potential. This decision paid off as she grew the segment into a major pillar of Nike's business, leading to her promotion to President of Direct-to-Consumer at Nike, where she led global retail and digital commerce from July 2013 to November 20164 5 3.

Current Positions and Achievements

After retiring from Nike, Shi founded Lovejoy Advisors, LLC in November 2016, an advisory firm focused on digitally transforming consumer and retail businesses. She also serves as a Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Co., Inc. Shi has held board member positions at several prominent companies, including Columbia Sportswear Company, UPS, Mondelēz International, and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Her current roles reflect her extensive experience and influence in the industry6 7 8 3.

Volunteering and Community Involvement

Shi is actively involved in volunteering, particularly with Habitat for Humanity. She is a founding member of the Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East Women Build CREW and serves as a board member and chair of the Operations Committee for Habitat for Humanity International. Her commitment to economic empowerment and providing decent housing for all demonstrates her dedication to social impact and community development9 10.

Citations

Footnotes

  1. https://www.linkedin.com/in/csshi ↩

  2. https://ca.marketscreener.com/business-leaders/CHRISTIANA-SHI-0BZSTG-E/biography/ ↩

  3. https://about.ups.com/us/en/our-company/leadership/christiana-smith-shi.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. https://www.forbes.com/sites/nancywang/2024/02/13/navigating-career-horizons-strategic-moves-personal-branding-and-the-360-degree-life/?sh=58d990861ccf ↩

  5. https://nypost.com/2024/03/03/lifestyle/what-these-former-top-execs-want-young-female-leaders-to-know/ ↩

  6. https://pithywordsmithery.com/2022/09/qa-with-executive-and-author-christiana-smith-shi/ ↩

  7. https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Christiana-Smith-Shi/198756161 ↩

  8. https://www.marketscreener.com/insider/CHRISTIANA-SHI-A1BFCX/ ↩

  9. https://www.habitat.org/about/habitat-for-humanity-leadership ↩

  10. https://habitatportlandregion.org/volunteer/womencommunitydays/ ↩

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