DMCNY 2010 Mal Dunn Leadership Award Honoree

Former Head of The Vermont Country Store Stepped in To Serve as Interim President & CEO of Direct Marketing Association, Inc., During Momentous Year for World’s Largest Direct Marketing Organization

About this year's winner: Robert (Bob) Allen

Bob Allen served most recently as interim president and chief executive officer for the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), the leading global trade association of businesses and nonprofit organizations using and supporting multichannel direct marketing tools and techniques. DMA today represents companies from vertical industries in the US and 48 other nations, including a majority of the Fortune 100 companies.

A seasoned marketing executive, Allen previously served as president and chief executive officer of The Vermont Country Store, a multichannel retailer of hard-to-find products. Beginning as assistant to the president in 1982, he advanced to president in 1994 earning the distinction of the first non-family president of the business. He is credited with The Vermont Country Store’s evolution from strictly traditional media to digital.

Allen currently serves as a director for six companies: Gardeners Supply; Cuddledown; Susan Sargent Designs; JK Adams; Danforth Pewterers; and Kalow Technologies. In 2004, he received the lifetime achievement award from Catalog Success Magazine, and another in 2008, from the New England Mail Order Association (NEMOA). He is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island.

Note to Editor: History of Mal Dunn Leadership Award can be found at this link.