Jason Kilar and Kerry Kilar Headrick

Jason Kilar (BSBA '93) helped his baby sister, Kerry Kilar Headrick (BSBA '98), take her first steps. Since then, they've shared a lot of milestones, including early careers in e-commerce and MBAs from Harvard.

Jason & Kerry

They share a mutual appreciation for UNC Kenan-Flagler professor Gary Armstrong's marketing wisdom and a passion for creative companies. Both siblings have taken giant steps in their careers - Kilar is now senior vice president of worldwide application software at Amazon.com, while Headrick is associate manager for high affinity segments with Walt Disney World.

Along the way, her brother has provided valuable career advice, but the most cherished tip came when she was headed off to college, Headrick said.

"It's no coincidence that two Kilars ended up at UNC-Chapel Hill. Jason has always been a great mentor to me, and that tip was the best one he's ever given me!" she said.

Prior to Amazon.com, Kilar spent time at Disney in the strategy and marketing groups for Disney Vacation Club. An avid entertainment industry junkie, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a joint business-journalism degree from UNC. He sits on the School's marketing advisory board today.

Kilar once delivered doughnuts to Kevin Bacon and Meryl Streep on the set of "The River Wild" and spent a summer with NBC entertainment, but he found his career fit at Amazon. He's risen through the ranks at Amazon to become part of CEO Jeff Bezos' management team. Kilar started at Amazon in 1997 and was eventually responsible for launching and operating the company's DVD/video business, in addition to writing the business plan.

First Steps

"When I first came to Amazon in early 1997, it was a private company, and the future was uncertain," Kilar said. "But I was very impressed with the quality of the people. Jeff Bezos held the quality bar extremely high in terms of the team he assembled. It's a company that's very much a meritocracy. You run as fast as you can, and you'll be rewarded accordingly. Responsibility at Amazon is accorded simply on your results and your ability to perform. That's very satisfying.

"Another thing that attracted me is the opportunity is so immense. … It's the Kitty Hawk era in terms of e-commerce."

Headrick also followed the Internet path after graduating Phi Beta Kappa from UNC, where she received a degree in business and political science and was co-founder of the marketing club. She became one of the original employees with Internet pioneer eToys and helped to build its national brand. When the company filed for bankruptcy in 2001, Kilar went to Harvard on a Lehman Brothers Scholarship. She later went to work in Atlanta with Coke on the company's Sprite brand. Several months ago, when her husband's job led them to Orlando, Headrick took a job with Disney.

"As a child, I would never have believed that one day I'd live one exit up from the Magic Kingdom and actually get paid for it," Headrick said. "Disney has been a great fit for me from a cultural, personal and career standpoint. As an associate segment manager, I focus on nurturing and growing the most loyal visitors to Walt Disney World through strategic marketing initiatives and targeted programs."

The siblings have their differences. Headrick joked that she's still going through caffeine withdrawal after leaving Coke, while Kilar is more likely to order a hot chocolate than a coffee at Starbucks. He's on the West Coast, and she's on the East. And both are quick to point out that they are just two of six talented children of Maureen and the late Lance Kilar.

"We have a supportive family that keeps us humble," Headrick said. "When someone is proud of an accomplishment, the rest are quick to remind them how hard they were to potty train. Though we all live in different states, we are an extremely close knit family."

UNC helped provide a solid foundation in accounting, finance, marketing and general management, Kilar said, as he fondly remembered what he learned in Armstrong's class.

"I learned how to size up a situation from a business perspective and to determine, 'Is it real? Is it meaningful? Can we have a sustained competitive advantage?'" he said. "UNC did a very good job educating me about keeping those things in mind when evaluating your current situation in business."

Kilar said he admires his sister's holistic focus on life, as she defines her success not only professionally but in giving back to the community. If Headrick were to give one piece of advice to business graduates, it would be this: "When pursuing your career passions, look at the opportunity and ignore the salary."

"I took the lowest-paying job offer when I graduated from UNC," she said. "However, I wouldn't trade my career experiences to date, because I have extracted priceless business lessons from them and, more importantly, have had a lot of fun in the process."