FTD Companies names new president, CEO

Globe Newswire

DOWNERS GROVE - Global floral and gifting company FTD Companies appointed John C. Walden as president, chief executive officer and member of the board of directors, effective March 1.

Walden will succeed Christopher W. Shean, one of FTD's directors, who has served as interim president and CEO since November 3, 2016 while the company conducted a formal search for a permanent CEO. Shean will remain on the board of directors.

Walden has been at the forefront of multichannel, consumer-driven retailing for over 20 years. From 2014 to 2016, Walden served as chief executive of Home Retail Group, the United Kingdom's leading home and general merchandise retailer with 1,100 stores, multiple digital channels, approximately $9 billion in net sales and the parent company of the Argos, Homebase and Habitat retail chains. Beginning in 2012, Walden was managing director and chief executive of Home Retail's principal division, Argos, Ltd. As CEO of Argos and Home Retail Group, Walden led a successful transformation of Argos from a catalog business into a leading digital retailer.

Prior to Argos, in 2008 Walden founded Inversion, a strategic retail and technology consultancy, and from 2007 to 2008 he served as executive vice oresident chief customer officer at Sears Holdings Corp. From 1999 to 2007, Walden held various executive leadership roles at Best Buy Company, including executive vice president Customer Business Group, executive vice president Human Capital and Leadership, and president internet and Direct Channels Division.

Walden 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.