Christie Hefner

Christie Hefner
Hefner at the Hilton Chicago in October 2007
Born (1952-11-08) November 8, 1952
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Nationality American
Education Brandeis University
Occupation Publisher
Known for Playboy Enterprises
Spouse(s)
William A. Marovitz
(m. 1995; div. 2013)
Parent(s) Hugh Hefner
Mildred Williams

Christie Ann Hefner (born November 8, 1952) is the former Playboy Enterprises Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, a company created by her father, Hugh Hefner. She stepped down from her position at Playboy on January 30, 2009.[1] She has often worked with the progressive political organization Center for American Progress. Their site describes her as having "long been involved in electing progressive candidates, advancing women, First Amendment issues and advancing treatment for people with HIV/AIDS." She is currently chairman of the board of Hatch Beauty[2][3] and serves on the advisory board of Springboard Enterprises.

Early life

Hefner was born in Chicago, Illinois. She is the daughter of Mildred (Williams) and Hugh Hefner. Her parents had separated by the time she was five. When her mother remarried, she moved to Wilmette, Illinois. There she graduated from New Trier High School. She attended the National Music Camp at Interlochen during the summers from 1964 to 1968.

She graduated summa cum laude from Brandeis University with a bachelor's degree in English and American literature in 1974. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in her junior year.[4]

Career

After college, she free-lanced for the Boston Phoenix for a year, writing movie reviews. Thereafter, she moved back to Chicago and started working at Playboy. After four years, she was promoted to vice president.

In 1982, she became president of Playboy Enterprises, and was made chairman of the board and CEO in 1988. The company acquired adult-oriented businesses such as Spice Network and ClubJenna.[5][6]

In 2008, she released a memo to employees about her efforts to streamline the company's operations, including eliminating its DVD division and laying off staff.[7]

On December 8, 2008, she announced her plans to step down as CEO of Playboy as of January 31, 2009.[8] Hefner said that the election of Barack Obama as the next U.S. president had inspired her to give more time to charitable work, and that the decision to step down was her own. "Just as this country is embracing change in the form of new leadership, I have decided that now is the time to make changes in my own life as well," she said.[9]

In May 2011, she was named executive chairman of Canyon Ranch Enterprises, a resort company that operates six premier spa destinations and an online website providing health and wellness advice.[10]

When she left Canyon Ranch Enterprises in 2015, she became chairman of Hatch Beauty, a brand and product innovation company in the personal care space, and she also joined the board of RDO Companies, a $3 billion family owned agricultural conglomerate.

She is a founding member of The Chicago Network, The Committee of 200, and Women Corporate Directors. She's also an advisory board member to Springboard Enterprises and a Rush University Medical Center trustee.

Philanthropy

Hefner created the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award in honor of her father, and has helped to raise $30 million to build the CORE Center in Chicago, the first outpatient facility in the Midwest for people with AIDS.[11]

Personal life

She married former Illinois state senator William A. Marovitz, a real estate developer and attorney in 1995. They divorced in 2013 and have no children. Marovitz was sued by the Securities Exchange Commission for allegedly using inside information to trade illegally in shares of Playboy. He was warned by Hefner never to attempt any trading. In 2011, he settled out of court for $168,352.[12][13]

She lives in Chicago and has one brother, David, a computer systems analyst, who has two children and three grandchildren. She also has two half-brothers, Cooper and Marston, from her father's marriage to Kimberley Conrad.

References

  1. ↑ Luscombe, Belinda (January 24, 2009). "Playboy Shows Signs of Withdrawal". TIME magazine. Retrieved May 18, 2009.
  2. ↑ http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140926005311/en/Fuel-Keynote-Expo---Whats-Minds-C-Suite#.VFg7iclnBb4
  3. ↑ Johnson, Mary (2 July 2015). "With Hugh Hefner's daughter at the helm, Playboy was able to do what most tech companies can't (Video)". bizwomen. Retrieved 2015-07-03.
  4. ↑ "Christie Hefner". Forbes. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  5. ↑ Adult.com
  6. ↑ Adult Video News Article Archived 2007-10-15 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ Playboy Enterprises Does Restructuring; Shutting DVD Division For Online Focus; 80 Positions Will Go Yahoo! Finance October 15, 2008. Accessed October 30, 2008
  8. ↑ Spain, William (December 8, 2008). "Christie Hefner to depart Playboy". MarketWatch. Retrieved Dec 8, 2008.
  9. ↑ Hefner's daughter Christie walks away from Playboy Enterprises
  10. ↑ "Ex-Playboy CEO Hefner joins Tucson-based Canyon Ranch". Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  11. ↑ goodmagazine.com profile
  12. ↑ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-08-04/business/ct-biz-0804-marovitz-playboy-20110804_1_playboy-stock-hefner-and-playboy-playboy-enterprises.
  13. ↑ Yue, Lorene (August 3, 2011). "Marovitz career spans politics, real estate, restaurants, even baseball". Crain's Chicago Business.

Bibliography

  • Reed, Cheryl, L. "Career built on guts, family ties -- and skin" 2004.
  • Watts, Steven (2008). Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-69059-7
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