C-Suite Moves: September report
Here’s a look at the major C-suite appointments that occurred in September (listed in the order they were announced).
•In a not unexpected move, the Game Stop board elected Ryan Cohen as president, CEO and chairman. The billionaire activist, who holds an approximate 12% stake in GameStop, will take no salary. In June, the company ousted CEO Matt Furlong.
•Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings Inc. appointed Paul Stone as CEO, president and board member, effective Nov. 1. He joins the Utah-based specialty outdoor retailer from Hertz Global Holdings, where he most recently served as president and COO.
• Kreme Kreme promoted global president and COO Josh Charlesworth to president and CEO, effective Jan.1, 2024. He will succeed Michael Tattersfield, who has held the role since 2017 and will remain on the board and serve as a senior advisor and Krispy Kreme “ambassador.”
• Red Lobster promoted executive VP and general counsel — and 30-year restaurant industry
veteran — Horace Dawson as CEO. He succeeds Kelli Valade, who resigned in 2022 after less than a year in the role.
•U.K.-based EG Group, parent company of Cumberland Farms and other U.S. c-store banners, has appointed John Carey as CEO and president of Eg America.
•Macy’s Inc. tapped Olivier Bron as CEO of Bloomingdale’s. He will succeed Tony Spring, who was named president and CEO-elect of Macy’s Inc. in March. Bron most recently was CEO of Central Group’s Central and Robinson Department Stores in Thailand. Before that, he served as COO and director of strategy for French luxury retail group Galeries Lafayette in Paris.
•Sprouts Farmers Market said that James Bahrenburg joined the company as chief technology officer. Most recently, he served as CIO of Good Food Holdings. Before that, he spent 12 years at 99 Cents Only Stores.
•Express Inc. appointed consumer products veteran Stewart Glendinning as CEO, replacing Tim Baxter, who resigned but will be available “as needed” to support a smooth transition. Glendinning most recently served as group president, prepared foods, Tysons Foods.
• Rue 21 named Scott Saeger as chief information officer. He joined the company from GNC, where he has served as CIO since 2018.
•Debi Boffa has taken the helm as CEO of Travel Centers of America Inc. (TA). She was appointed as CEO-designate in May 2023 upon TA’s acquisition by BP.
•BJ’s Wholesale Club appointed Anjana Harve as executive VP, CIO. Prior to BJ’s, Harve served as global CIO at Fresenius Medical Care.
•Under Armour named John Varvatos as chief design officer. He joined the company following decades of experience with brands that include Polo Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Converse as well as his own rock ‘n’ roll-influenced namesake menswear brand, John Varvatos.
• In a move that caught the industry by surprise, Rosalind Brewer stepped down as CEO of Walgreens after less than three years on the job. She was appointed CEO of Walgreens in March
2021, becoming the only Black female to head up a Fortune 500 company.