공지 • May 03
Carter’S, Inc. Announces CEO Changes
Carter’s, Inc. announced the appointment of Sharon Price John as Chief Executive Officer, effective June 15, 2026. Richard F. Westenberger has been appointed interim Chief Executive Officer and President in addition to his responsibilities as Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer and will serve in this capacity during the transition period until Ms. John joins the Company next month, effective April 28, 2026. Ms. John, age 62, will join Carter’s following the conclusion of her successful 13-year tenure as Chief Executive Officer and President of Build-A-Bear Workshop (“Build-A-Bear”), which was recently announced. Ms. John led Build-A-Bear through a transformational period of improved profitability and growth. Over her tenure, Ms. John diversified the business model beyond traditional malls, accelerated e-commerce with an integrated omnichannel focus, expanded the company’s addressable market to gifting and collectors, and extended into content-led marketing. Under Ms. John’s leadership, Build-A-Bear was reimagined from both a consumer-facing and infrastructure perspective, while the company navigated retail headwinds and a global pandemic to deliver significant shareholder returns and the fifth consecutive year of record results in 2025. Prior to joining Build-A-Bear, Ms. John held a number of executive positions, including President of Stride Rite Children's Group, General Manager and Senior Vice President of Hasbro's Global Playskool business, and worked at Mattel as the Vice President of International Marketing for the Disney business unit and as a Director of the Barbie brand. Ms. John also founded and served as Chief Executive Officer of Checkerboard Toys, served as Vice President, U.S. Toy Division with VTech Industries, Inc., and served in a range of roles at Mattel, Inc. She started her career in advertising, overseeing accounts such as Hershey’s and the Snickers/M&M Mars business. Until February 2025, Ms. John served on the Board of Directors of Jack in the Box Inc., a publicly-traded restaurant company. Ms. John will continue to serve as a non-independentdirector on Build-A-Bear’sBoard of Directors through Build-A-Bear’s 2027 annual meeting of stockholders. In connection with Ms. John’s appointment and effective April 28, 2026, Douglas C. Palladini has departed the Company as Chief Executive Officer, and as a member of the Board of Directors. Mr. Westenberger, age 57, joined the Company in 2009 as Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, and was appointed Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer in March 2024, and Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer in May 2025. Mr. Westenberger previously served as Interim CEO from January 2025 to April 2025. Mr. Westenberger’s responsibilities in his role as Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer include management of Carter’s finance, enterprise risk management, information technology, real estate, strategic procurement, and internal audit functions. Prior to joining Carter’s, Mr. Westenberger served as Vice President of Corporate Finance and Treasurer of Hewitt Associates, Inc. from 2006 to 2008. From 1996 to 2006, Mr. Westenberger held various senior financial management positions at Sears Holdings Corporation and its predecessor organization, Sears, Roebuck and Co., including Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Lands’ End, Inc., Vice President of Corporate Planning & Analysis, and Vice President of Investor Relations. Prior to Sears, Mr. Westenberger was with Kraft Foods, Inc. He began his career at Price Waterhouse LLP, a predecessor firm to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and is a certified public accountant. Mr. Westenberger earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.