SAN DIEGO, March 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. (NASDAQ: WOOF), a complete partner in pet health and wellness, today announced the addition of two accomplished independent board members: Sabrina Simmons, former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Gap Inc., and Mike Mohan, President and Chief Operating Officer of Best Buy. The company also announced the addition of Mary Sullivan, Senior Managing Director & Chief Talent Officer at Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), to the board. The new directors bring powerful complementary skills that will support Petco's fully integrated, digital-led pet care ecosystem. They also expand the gender and ethnic diversity of its board and will support Petco in furthering its connections with diverse communities, partners and suppliers.
These additions supplement digital savvy pre-existing board members Gary Briggs, who was CMO at Facebook, Google and eBay, as well as Christy Lake, Chief People Officer at Twilio with previous experience at Box, HP and The Home Depot.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sabrina, Mike and Mary to our Board and the Petco family," said Ron Coughlin, Chairman and CEO of Petco. "They bring best-in-class experience across retail transformation, finance and human capital management that not only complements our existing board members but will also accelerate execution of our unique position as a true end to end omnichannel health and wellness ecosystem for pets. They also further our goal of having one of the most diverse boards in America."
Simmons' more than 15 years of experience in senior finance leadership roles including CFO and Treasury, as well as Board Audit Committee experience, bring invaluable financial capability and knowledge to Petco. As CFO at Gap Inc., Simmons was responsible for overseeing the global finance organization, including all corporate financial planning and analysis, corporate shared service centers, treasury, risk management, tax, and investor relations. She also led multiple non-finance functions, including global real estate, loss prevention and corporate facilities teams. Simmons currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Williams-Sonoma Inc., e.l.f. Beauty Inc., and Columbia Sportswear Co. and brings her world-class experience as a CFO and director to Petco's Audit Committee.
Mohan is an accomplished retail and ecommerce executive, bringing crucial and highly relevant experience in transforming a brick and mortar retailer to a thriving omnichannel provider of unique merchandise and services. As Best Buy's President and COO, he is responsible for the operations of the company's U.S. and International business and leads services, customer experience, category management, merchandising, marketing and supply chain. Joining Best Buy in 2004, he served in a variety of leadership roles, including COO of the U.S. business and as the Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer. In these roles, he oversaw the launch of thousands of store-within-a-store locations in partnership with leading technology vendors, the expansion of Best Buy's Magnolia and Pacific Kitchen and Home brands, the evolution of the company's private-label brands, and the rise of emerging categories such as 4K UHD TVs, health and fitness devices, and smart home products. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Bloomin' Brands. Mohan will serve on Petco's Audit Committee.
Sullivan is a proven leader in human resources and talent management, with extensive experience in industries such as retail and hospitality, as well as institutional investment. As Senior Managing Director & Chief Talent Officer at CPP Investments, she is responsible for talent acquisition, organizational development, compensation and benefits, international mobility, facilities and office services, as well as inclusion and diversity. Sullivan serves as a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
The new directors build on the previous additions of former Facebook CMO Gary Briggs and top technology HR executive Christy Lake, formerly of Box and current Chief People Officer at Twilio, in 2018.
Currently serving as Chairman of data and technology firm Hawkfish, Briggs brings strong ecommerce and digital expertise to the Board. Between 2013 and 2018, he served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Facebook and previously held various leadership roles at Google. He also has significant experience working in marketing and branding at leading technology and ecommerce companies, including eBay, PayPal, PepsiCo, and IBM. He brings his management experience to Petco's Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Briggs also serves on the board of directors of Etsy and Afterpay.
Lake has built leading and cutting-edge human resources technology and functions, and brings that experience to the Petco Board. She serves as the Chief People Officer of Twilio, a cloud communications company, and in addition to her time at Box, Inc., she previously held senior HR roles at Medallia, HP, and The Home Depot.
In addition to the aforementioned members, Petco's board of directors includes:
- Ronald Coughlin, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Petco, Coughlin served as President of HP Inc.'s Personal Systems segment. Previously, he served in various leadership roles at HP and spent 13 years at PepsiCo in a range of senior executive roles, including Chief Marketing Officer.
- Maximilian Biagosch, Managing Director and Global Head of Portfolio Value Creation at CPP Investments.
- Cameron Breitner, Managing Partner at CVC Capital Partners and head of CVC's San Francisco office with shared responsibility for overseeing CVC's U.S. Private Equity activities.
- Nishad Chande, Senior Managing Director, U.S. Head of Consumer and Co-Head of Business Services at CVC Capital Partners.
- Jennifer Pereira, Senior Principal at CPP Investments, leading consumer and retail private equity efforts in North America.
- Christopher J. Stadler, Managing Partner at CVC Capital Partners. He serves on the board of the CVC advisory business and is the Co-Chairman of the Europe/North America Private Equity Board.
In total, with today's announcement, Petco's board of directors has grown to 11 members including four independent directors.
For more information about the Board of Directors, visit corporate.petco.com/directors.
About Petco, The Health + Wellness Co.
Petco is a category-defining health and wellness company focused on improving the lives of pets, pet parents and our own Petco partners. Since our founding in 1965, we've been trailblazing new standards in pet care, delivering comprehensive wellness solutions through our products and services, and creating communities that deepen the pet-pet parent bond. We operate more than 1,500 Petco locations across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, including a growing network of more than 100 in-store veterinary hospitals, and offer a complete online resource for pet health and wellness at petco.com and on the Petco app. In tandem with The Petco Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization, we work with and support thousands of local animal welfare groups across the country and, through in-store adoption events, we've helped find homes for more than 6.5 million animals.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, concerning expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical fact. Although the company believes that the expectations and assumptions reflected in these statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that these expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are subject to many risks and uncertainties, including the risk factors that the company identifies in its Securities and Exchange Commission filings, and actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in such forward-looking statements. The company undertakes no duty to update publicly any forward-looking statement that it may make, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law, regulation or other competent legal authority.
Media Contact:
Ventura Olvera
Ventura.olvera@petco.com
858-453-7845 ext. 222820
SOURCE Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc.
