New CEO for Staples
Joshua Allsopp, 26 January 2018
As revealed by OPI early this morning (GMT), Staples Inc CEO Shira Goodman has been 'let go'.
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As revealed by OPI early this morning (GMT), Staples Inc CEO Shira Goodman has been ‘let go’.
Her departure was confirmed in an internal memo by Executive Chairman John Lederer, in which he wrote: “During this leadership transition, nothing changes day-to-day […] We have a great opportunity in front of us to continue to strengthen our customer relationships and accelerate our growth in 2018 and beyond.”
Private equity owner Sycamore Partners has reportedly already lined up a replacement for the 26-year Staples veteran.
Unverified sources have also suggested that there were as many as 750 additional redundancies at Staples in the past week, and more executives are rumoured to be on their way out.
Goodman took over as CEO of the company in 2016 shortly after regulators scrapped its plans to merge with Office Depot. She was charged with heading the reseller’s strategy to shift focus away from its waning retail business and made the decision to close a number of stores, instead concentrating on B2B and corporate customers.
Following Staples’ takeover by Sycamore in June last year, the new owners decided to keep her at the helm, seen by many as a huge vote of confidence in her leadership capabilities. This led to Goodman being ranked as one of Fortune magazine’s ‘Most Powerful Women of 2017’.
Prior to becoming CEO, Goodman led the North American division for several years, first as President of North American Commercial and then of Operations. She first joined the company in 1992 in a number of mid-level leadership roles, having joined from a Boston-based management consultancy which had helped Staples launch its catalogue business.
According to Lederer, Goodman’s replacement is expected to be announced in the next few days.
Both Staples Inc and Sycamore have been approached for comment.
Framingham (MA), USA