BJ’s Wholesale Club has promoted its President and COO, Christopher Baldwin, to President and CEO, less than four months after he was hired from Hess Retail. Baldwin will succeed Laura Sen in the position; she will assume the role of Non-Executive Chairman. The transition is effective Feb. 1, 2016.
Baldwin will remain a member of, and report to, the company’s Board of Directors. He will assume responsibility for the ongoing operations of BJ’s, while Sen will collaborate with the Board to set the retailer’s long-term strategic direction.
“This is both a challenging time for retail and one full of opportunity,” said Baldwin in a statement. “Our guide over the next several years will be a vision that is steadfastly focused on offering a distinctive shopping experience and deep value proposition to BJ’s millions of loyal members. With the support of BJ’s team members, I look forward to leading our company to even higher levels of achievement.”
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Baldwin served as the CEO of Hess Retail Corporation prior to the company’s sale to Marathon Petroleum Corporation. Prior to joining Hess, Baldwin served in executive roles at Kraft Foods, The Hershey Company and Procter and Gamble.
Sen, a 25-year veteran of BJ’s, has been CEO since 2009.
“Thanks to Laura’s leadership and vision, BJ’s has been a highly successful investment since our take-private transaction in 2011,” said Jonathan Seiffer, Senior Partner at Leonard Green & Partners. “Our firm has a deep history of investing in outstanding retail businesses, and we are confident that Chris will build on the strong foundation that will be Laura’s legacy.”
