Petco Appoints New CEO

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Petco Animal Supplies, Inc. announced that it has named Ron Coughlin as its new chief executive officer. Coughlin joins the company from HP Inc., where he served for 11 years, most recently as president of Personal Systems. He will begin in this role as of Monday, June 18.

Coughlin, a consumer products and technology industry veteran with over 15 years of C-suite executive experience, spent the last four years leading HP’s Personal Systems segment, a $33 billion global business that offers consumer and commercial products and services.  Previously, he was SVP of Consumer PCs, SVP of LaserJet Hardware and Commercial Document Services and Solutions, and SVP of Sales, Strategy, and Marketing at HP. Prior to joining HP, Coughlin spent 12 years at PepsiCo in a range of senior executive roles, including chief marketing officer of PepsiCo International Beverages. In that capacity, he was responsible for marketing activities across Pepsi, 7 Up, Gatorade and Tropicana in all markets outside of the U.S.

“Over the past 50+ years, Petco has become one of the most trusted names in the pet category,” Coughlin said. “I look forward to working with Petco’s strong existing leadership team and more than 25,000 passionate partners to grow and transform our business with a commitment to the needs of pet parents and the animals they love first and foremost. We will drive compelling in-store, online and services-related offerings, and we will have an unwavering commitment to innovation and flawless execution. I am excited about Petco’s future.”

“Ron has outstanding leadership experience with a consistent track record of driving strong growth and transformation at consumer-facing organizations. For the last 25 years, he has worked closely with the world’s top physical and online retailers,” said Christopher Stadler, managing partner of CVC Capital Partners. “We are very pleased to have the opportunity to work with Ron, and we are excited about what his involvement will mean for the future of Petco.”

Coughlin will be replacing current CEO Brad Weston.

“We are greatly appreciative of the many valuable contributions that Brad Weston has made to Petco,” said Cameron Breitner, partner of CVC. “He is a very talented executive who has helped to establish a strong foundation for Petco’s bright future, and we are confident he will be successful in his future endeavors.”

“It has been a great privilege to work with the management team and partners at Petco over the past seven years. In this time we have added significant management talent and built out the company’s capabilities in a variety of key areas,” Weston said. “While I look forward to pursuing other opportunities in the future, I am confident that this transition leaves Petco well positioned for continued future success.”