BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. announced that the company’s Board of Directors has appointed Bob Eddy as president and chief executive officer. The appointment follows the sudden death of its former CEO, Lee Delaney, on April 16.
Eddy, who has been the company’s finance chief since 2011 and with BJ’s since 2007, had been acting interim CEO.
Eddy will assume day-to-day leadership of the company and will also join BJ’s Board of Directors. Laura Felice, currently senior vice president, controller, has been appointed executive vice president, chief financial officer and replaces Eddy in this role.
The company also announced additional appointments to further strengthen its management team and accelerate its growth. Paul Cichocki, currently executive vice president, membership, analytics and business transformation, has been named executive vice president, chief commercial officer, and will oversee merchandising, membership, marketing and analytics. Bill Werner, currently Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning and Investor relations, has been appointed executive vice president, strategy and development and will lead the company’s market expansion and key strategic initiatives to create value for members and for shareholders.
These changes are effective immediately.
Commenting on these appointments, Christopher J. Baldwin, executive chairman, BJ’s Wholesale Club, said, “Bob’s leadership, strategic vision and deep knowledge of the business have been pivotal in driving BJ’s Wholesale Club’s transformation and record growth across all key metrics. We delivered industry-leading results this past year and made significant progress on each of our long-term strategic pillars under Lee’s leadership and we’ll continue to honor his legacy. Looking ahead, the Board and I are confident that Bob is the right person to lead the Company and to drive profitable growth and long-term shareholder value.
“We remain committed to accelerating our transformation and to delivering outstanding value and service to our members. Our management team is comprised of seasoned executives with deep talent and breadth of experience in the retail and consumer industries. In addition to Bob’s appointment as President and CEO, we continue to strengthen our team with accomplished leaders like Laura, Paul and Bill. This world-class team will continue to build on our existing momentum and fuel the next phase of growth for the Company.”
Eddy said, “In the last year, we’ve truly transformed our business by every measure, and we continue to accelerate our strategic initiatives. I’m honored and humbled to lead this growing company and a great team. We are a much stronger and better company today than we were at the time of our IPO in 2018. I look forward to continuing to work with Chris, our Board of Directors, and our entire leadership team, including Laura, Paul and Bill, to build on this momentum and take advantage of the opportunities ahead of us.”
In her new role as executive vice president, chief financial officer, Felice will have oversight of finance as well as controls, accounting, tax, treasury, risk management, audit and investor relations. “Laura is ideally positioned to serve as our CFO and drive the next phase of our strategy,” Eddy said. “She has played an integral role in transforming our balance sheet and in capitalizing on opportunities to invest back into our business. Under her leadership, we’ll continue to invest in growth initiatives to create value for our shareholders.”
Felice said, “I’m grateful to have partnered closely with Bob for the last five years and am thrilled to assume the role of CFO for BJ’s. Last year, we delivered extraordinary financial performance, and our business structurally changed for the better. We are poised for even more growth in the future and I’m honored to help lead the Company into this next phase of its transformation.”
Photo courtesy Bob Eddy, BJ’s Wholesale Club
