November 16, 2007

Acclaimed business executive and academic Leonard Schlesinger has been named the 12th President of Babson College.   His appointment will begin on July 1, 2008. Schlesinger comes to Babson from Limited Brands, where he served most recently as Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, overseeing Express, Limited Stores, Victoria’s Secret Beauty, Stores and Direct, Bath and Body Works, C.O. Bigelow, Henri Bendel and the White Barn Candle Company.  He has also served as a senior executive with Au Bon Pain Co., Inc.

His academic career includes twenty years at Harvard Business School, where, most recently, he served as the George Fisher Baker, Jr., Professor of Business Administration, leading MBA and executive education programs.  He has also served as faculty member and administrator at Brown University.

He is the author, coauthor, or coeditor of nine books, including The Value Profit Chain (Free Press, 2002) and The Service Profit Chain (Free Press, 1997).