The Finish Line, Inc. announced that Mark S. Landau has been appointed chief business development officer, effective Jan. 1. Since January 2010, Landau has been a member of the company's board of directors, serving on its audit and strategy committees.
Landau's responsibilities were previously held by Gary D. Cohen, the
company's former chief administrative officer and corporate secretary,
who announced his retirement from the company in November 2011.
In connection with his appointment as chief business development Officer, Landau resigned from the board effective Dec. 31, 2011.
Landau's professional career has spanned more than 25 years in the financial services and real estate industries. Most recently, he served as a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank, leading the Commercial Real Estate Banking Americas division. Prior to Deutsche Bank, Landau was with Goldenbridge Advisors for two years as Managing Director and was a member of the firm's investment committee. Earlier in his career, he served in a variety of management positions throughout 14 years with Merrill Lynch. Landau is a 1982 graduate of New York University Law School and earned a bachelor's degree in economics, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979.
Landau's responsibilities as Chief Business Development Officer at The Finish Line include identifying and pursuing options – including potential mergers and acquisitions – for the company's next leg of long-term growth outside of its Finish Line brand business. Among other areas of focus, his work will build upon the September 2011 acquisition of specialty running stores operating under The Running Company banner.
Landau reports directly to Glenn Lyon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
“Mark has been a valuable contributor to our board and I am confident that he will continue to effectively utilize his vast experience and bring important insights to this new role within our company,” Lyon said. “We are excited to have Mark working with our leadership team to help create and execute our strategic vision for long-term growth. This includes further expansion within the specialty running business as well as potential growth into other business segments that build on our company's existing core competencies.”
