Expert
John
Walden
Chairman
,Holland & Barrett
John Walden has had a 20-year career leading transformational and digital change for retailers in the US and UK. He currently serves as a non-executive director of Holland & Barrett and an Advisory Board member for London-based L1 Retail, and was President and Chief Executive Officer of FTD Companies, Inc. until August, 2018.
From 2012 to 2016, John served as managing director of Argos Ltd. and, from 2014 to 2016, chief executive of its parent company Home Retail Group plc (HRG). While at HRG John led the development of Argos into one of the UK’s leading digital retailers. During 2016, John led the successful sale of HRG’s Homebase to Wesfarmers, and subsequently the successful sale of Argos to J Sainsbury plc.
Prior to Argos, John held various executive leadership roles at Best Buy Company, Inc., including Executive Vice President Customer Business Group, and President Internet Division. He also served in leadership roles at Peapod, Inc., a pioneering online supermarket, and practiced law with Sidley Austin LLP.
John holds a Masters in Management from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, a Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois.