Petco Announces Several Leadership Changes, Promotions

Petco Health and Wellness has changed its organizational structure and announced several leadership changes and promotions.

The company says that the changes will “enable continued growth” for the pet retailer, including for its private label and exclusive products. Founded in 1965, Petco currently operates more than 1,500 pet care centers across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico.

"These appointments and our organizational design are emblematic of our focus on putting the customer and data at the center of everything we do as we meet the customer need of a single partner for the health and wellness needs of their pet,” said Petco CEO Ron Coughlin. “It also manifests our dedication to driving operational excellence. Lastly, it highlights the tremendous talent we have at Petco and our focus on developing that talent.”

These are the following key appointments made by Petco, as described by the retailer:

• Amy College, Chief Merchandising Officer, is taking on responsibility for demand planning. This move is designed to allow her and her teams to drive an even sharper, integrated view of product and customer demand. Amy's experience running omni-channel businesses and demand planning at Best Buy will be invaluable in this expanded role.
• Jason Heffelfinger, Senior Vice President Services, has been promoted to Chief Services Officer. Jason has been central to the build-out of the company's owned vet model, including the acquisition of its Thrive joint venture and smaller veterinary hospitals. He also has led the rapid acceleration of Petco's grooming business.
• Darren MacDonald, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer, is taking on an expanded role as Chief Customer Officer. In this new role, Darren will lead customer-focused teams including his current Digital team, as well as Marketing, Membership, Loyalty, Enterprise Analytics/Data Science and Customer Service. As Chief Customer Officer, Darren will build on his previous experience leading customer centric organizations at Jet, Walmart.com and IAC.
• Justin Tichy, Chief Pet Care Center Officer, has been appointed Chief Operating Officer, taking on additional responsibility for company-wide logistics including oversight of the company's distribution centers. Justin will continue to run Petco's over 1,400 Pet Care Centers in the U.S. and, by tightening the link between distribution and Pet Care Centers, the right inventory will be in the right places to meet customer demand. Justin will leverage his tremendous experience across Walmart, Target and Best Buy to drive excellence across our Pet Care Centers and Distribution.

Petco also announced that Mike Nuzzo, Chief Operating Officer and President of Services, will be leaving the company after more than seven years.

"I also want to express my deep thanks to Mike who has served in many leadership roles at Petco, from CFO to COO and President of Services, and who has left an indelible mark on our company," added Coughlin.