Steve Madden: ED ROSENFELD

At 33 years old, Ed Rosenfeld is one of the youngest CEO's around. Jokingly, he remarks that he hopes to lead popular shoe and accessories brand Steve Madden, Ltd. to "world domination," and we don't doubt that he could. Ed insists that he is not wise beyond his years, but we don't buy it--part of his charm is that despite his obvious success, he remains self-effacing and friendly, learning each and every one of his employees' names and greeting them with a smile each time he visits a Steve Madden store. That, in our opinion, is the highest form of maturity. A Michigan native and Amherst College graduate, Ed gained early exposure to the retail industry through his family's department store, and later acquired technical expertise as a retailing investment banker at Peter J. Solomon Company. He worked with Mr. Madden as a client when the firm was advising a Steve Madden acquisition, and was invited to join the corporation because of his competent work and reliably good attitude. 

Ed has a winning combination of ability and confidence to let his career unfold successfully.  Plus, he knows good shoes.
 

Your greatest challenge as a young CEO of a major corporation? 

Convincing people that I didn't steal my business cards from the real CEO of Steve Madden. 

Do you consider yourself wise beyond your years? 

No. 

Where you see yourself in 10 years: 

I have absolutely no idea, which is really what makes the whole thing interesting. 

Best shoe innovation of all time? 

Cool shoes that don't cost a zillion dollars. 

What is your shoe size? 

10. 

Approximately how many pairs of shoes do you own? 

10. 

What is your current state of mind? 

Hopeful. 

Your motto? 

"Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." --John Lennon. 

Your role model: 

I don't think I have one. 

Your most overused phrase: 

"That's a good start, but..." 

How often do women ask you for shoe favors? 

Almost every day. 

Best part of your job? 

Working with lots of super-creative people. 

Worst? 

Dealing with lots of super-creative people. 

Your hope for the future of Steve Madden: 

World domination. 

Favorite shoe store (other than SM) in NYC: 

Barneys Co-op.