Mr. Sargent was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Staples, Inc., a business products retailer, where he was employed from 1989 until his retirement in 2017. Prior to joining Staples, Mr. Sargent spent 10 years with Kroger in various positions. He is a director of Five Below, Inc. and Wells Fargo & Company. Previously, he served as a director of The Home Depot, Inc. and Mattel, Inc. Currently, Mr. Sargent is a member of the board of governors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the board of directors of City of Hope, and the board of trustees of Northeastern University. He is also chairman of the board of directors of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
Mr. Sargent has over 35 years of retail experience, first with Kroger and then with increasing levels of responsibility and leadership at Staples, Inc. His efforts helped carve out a new market niche for the international retailer. In his role as Chair of the Wells Fargo Human Resources Committee, he oversees human capital management, including diversity, equity, and inclusion, human capital risk, and culture and ethics. In his role as a member of the Five Below Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, he oversees social and environmental governance, including corporate citizenship. These committee experiences along with his understanding of retail operations, consumer insights, and e-commerce are of value to the Board. Mr. Sargent’s strong insights into corporate governance and his executive leadership experience serve as the basis for his leadership role as Chairman of the Board of Directors and interim Chief Executive Officer.