TORONTO, March 25, 2014 /CNW/ - Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (TSX:CTC, TSX:CTC.a) today announced the appointment of Chad McKinnon as Chief Operating Officer of FGL Sports and Rick White as Chief Operating Officer of Mark's.
In November 2013, Michael Medline, previously President of FGL Sports and Mark's, was appointed to the expanded role of President of CTC by Chief Executive Officer Stephen Wetmore. After assessing the operations and organizational structure, Mr. Medline has determined that dedicated executive leaders heading up FGL Sports and Mark's are necessary to ensure the businesses' continued growth and momentum. Both Mr. McKinnon and Mr. White will report directly to Mr. Medline.
"We are coming off a record year for CTC overall and FGL Sports and Mark's played a key role in driving that success," said Michael Medline, President, Canadian Tire Corporation. "When we acquired FGL Sports in 2011, we deepened our senior retail leadership team and that gives us the flexibility to move talent across the family of companies. Chad and Rick are extremely strong and accomplished retailers and their expertise will drive growth and returns across the businesses for years to come."
Prior to his appointment as COO, Mr. McKinnon was Senior Vice-President of Store Operations for FGL Sports and Mark's and had broader responsibilities with National Sports. During his career, Mr. McKinnon has worked across virtually every area of the business, including leading customer service, training programs and in-store visual presentations. More recently, he and his team were responsible for the opening of Sport Chek's new 80,000 square foot flagship store in West Edmonton Mall.
Mr. White brings over 25 years of experience to the role of COO of Mark's. Previously the Chief Merchandising Officer & Senior Vice-President at Mark's and FGL Sports, Mr. White has a strong background in licensing, product development, sourcing and production for both controlled and private-label goods. His expertise in working with branded apparel and footwear will be key to Mark's continued growth in the years to come.
Harry Taylor, the COO of Mark's for the past two years, will return to Toronto with his family where he will rejoin the Finance team, assuming the role of Senior Vice-President, Finance, Canadian Tire Corporation.
"Harry stepped away from a senior executive role with the Finance team at CTC two years ago in order to lead and help grow the Mark's business and I would like to thank him for the outstanding job he has done boosting performance and growing revenue," continued Mr. Medline.
Mr. Taylor will lead the operational function of the Finance organization and will report to Dean McCann, Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, Canadian Tire Corporation.
ABOUT CANADIAN TIRE
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited, (TSX:CTC.A) (TSX:CTC) or "CTC," is a family of businesses that includes a retail segment, a financial services division and CT REIT. Our retail business is led by Canadian Tire, which was founded in 1922 and provides Canadians with products for life in Canada across its Living, Playing, Fixing, Automotive and Seasonal categories. PartSource and Gas+ are key parts of the Canadian Tire network. The retail segment also includes Mark's, a leading source for casual and industrial wear, and FGL Sports (Sport Chek, Hockey Experts, Sports Experts, National Sports, Intersport, Pro Hockey Life and Atmosphere), which offers the best active wear brands. The nearly 1,700 retail and gasoline outlets are supported and strengthened by our Financial Services division and the approximately 85,000 people employed across the Company. For more information, visit Corp.CanadianTire.ca.
SOURCE CANADIAN TIRE CORPORATION, LIMITED
