BJ's Wholesale Club Appoints Bob Eddy as President and Chief Executive Officer, and Laura Felice as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
WESTBOROUGH, MA - Crucial shifts are happening all across this retailer’s leadership team as BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings has announced several new executive appointments. The retailer recently revealed that it has appointed Bob Eddy as President and Chief Executive Officer, and Laura Felice has taken over his role as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
“In the last year, we’ve truly transformed our business by every measure, and we continue to accelerate our strategic initiatives,” said Eddy. “I’m honored and humbled to lead this growing company and 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.”
Eddy first joined BJ’s in 2007 and assumed the role of Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer in 2011, and Chief Administrative Officer in 2018, according to a press release. He was recently named Interim CEO in April 2021, following the passing of Lee Delaney. Before joining the team at BJ’s, Eddy worked as a member of the audit and business advisory practice of PwC in Boston and San Francisco, as well as chaired the Financial Executives Council of the National Retail Federation.
“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,” said Executive Chairman Christopher J. Baldwin. “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.”
Taking over Eddy’s previous role, Felice will be responsible for overseeing finance as well as controls, accounting, tax, treasury, risk management, audit, and investor relations.
“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,” Felice said.
Felice joined the company in 2016 as Senior Vice President, Controller, where she was responsible for the integrity of the retailer’s financial records. Prior to joining the team, Felice worked at shoe manufacturer and retailer Clarks Americas, Inc., where she held the position of Senior Vice President of Finance and led all aspects of commercial finance for the company’s distribution channels. She holds a master’s degree in Accounting and a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting from Boston College.
“Laura is ideally positioned to serve as our CFO and drive the next phase of our strategy,” Eddy explained. “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.”
In addition to these new appointments, the retailer also announced other moves to bolster its management team, promoting Paul Cichocki to Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer, and Bill Werner to Executive Vice President, Strategy and Development. Cichocki will oversee merchandising, membership, analytics, and marketing, while Werner will lead the company’s market expansion.
“We remain committed to accelerating our transformation and to delivering outstanding value and service to our members,” continued Baldwin. “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.”
All of these appointments are effective immediately. To read more about these talented leaders, click here.
We at ANUK want to congratulate each of these individuals on their recent appointments and the growth of the company!
