Pilot Pen G2 Edge

BJ’s Wholesale Club taps Bob Eddy as CEO

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. — BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings Inc. has named Bob Eddy president and chief executive officer. Eddy had been serving in that role on an interim basis since the unexpected death of Lee Delaney earlier this month.

“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,” BJ’s executive chairman Christopher Baldwin said. “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.”

Bob Eddy

Bob Eddy

Eddy previously served as executive vice president and chief financial officer. Laura Felice, who has been serving as senior vice president and controller, has been named to succeed him in that role.

The company also announced additional appointments to its management team. Paul Cichocki, currently executive vice president, membership, analytics and business transformation, has been named executive vice president and chief commercial officer. He will oversee merchandising, membership, marketing and analytics. Bill Werner, currently senior vice president, strategic planning and investor relations, has been named executive vice president for strategy and development and will lead the company’s market expansion and key strategic initiatives.

These changes are effective immediately.

“We remain committed to accelerating our transformation and to delivering outstanding value and service to our members,” Baldwin said of the moves. “Our management team is comprised of seasoned executives with deep talent and a 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 he was “honored and humbled” to be chosen to lead BJ’s.

“In the last year, we’ve truly transformed our business by every measure, and we continue to accelerate our strategic initiatives,” he said. “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 and 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 joined the company in 2016 as senior vice president and controller, responsible for the integrity of financial records. Prior to joining BJ’s, she worked at Clarks Americas Inc., a shoe manufacturer and retailer, since 2008 in positions of increasing responsibility, including most recently as senior vice president of finance, where she led all aspects of commercial finance for the Americas region distribution channels. Additionally, Felice worked at PwC in Boston. She is a certified public accountant and serves on the board of the Massachusetts Society of CPAs.

“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,” she said. “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.”

Eddy joined BJ’s in 2007. He assumed the role of executive vice president and chief financial officer in 2011 and was appointed chief administrative officer in 2018. Prior to joining BJ’s, Eddy served multinational manufacturing, technology, retail and consumer products companies as a member of the audit and business advisory practice of PwC in Boston and San Francisco. From 2013 to 2017, Eddy chaired the Financial Executives Council of the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of The Boston Children’s Hospital. Eddy is a graduate of Babson College.

Cichocki joined the company in 2020 as executive vice president of membership, analytics and business transformation. Before that he was a partner in Bain & Company’s Boston office where he spent more than twenty years serving clients across a range of industries including retail, consumer products, financial services and food and beverage. Prior to Bain, he worked as an operating manager at PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay division.

Werner joined the BJ’s in 2012 and was appointed senior vice president for strategic planning and investor relations in 2016. Prior to that, he served as senior vice president of finance from 2013 to 2016 and as vice president of accounting and financial reporting from 2012 to 2013. Prior to joining the company, Werner was a director in the deals practice at PwC in Boston from 2007 to 2012.


BEIRES_728x90


You must be logged in to post a comment Login