Who is Mary Beth? Everything about the new CEO for outdoor retailer REI 

Recreational Equipment, Inc., aka REI, has announced Mary Beth as the company's new CEO. The previous CEO, Eric Artz, is reported to leave the position as he retires in March. Founded in 1938, REI is famous for selling outdoor sports gear for hiking, cycling, traveling, and more.

Mary Beth Laughton has previously been the Board Director for REI. Before taking the position of CEO on March 31, she will also serve as the new president of REI from February 3.

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Chris Carr, Chair of the REI Board of Directors, welcomes Mary Beth as the new CEO of REI

REI uploaded a new press release on January 22, announcing Mary Beth as the new CEO of REI. The Chair of the REI Board of Directors, Chris Charr, thanked the previous CEO, Eric Artz, by saying,

"Eric has led and stabilized REI through some of the most challenging years the retail sector and our co-op ever faced. REI is in a strong position today because he always kept our purpose, values, and people as his north star" - Chris Charr, Chair of the REI Board of Directors

He further welcomed Mary Beth by adding,

"Mary Beth has the ideal experience to build on this foundation and to lead REI forward into our next chapter. The world needs a strong REI, and we are confident Mary Beth will hit the ground running."

Mary Beth Laughton also gave a statement,

"No other company balances purpose and performance quite like REI, and we must ensure it thrives for generations to come. That is a big responsibility – one I embrace with utmost respect for our millions of members and the thousands of employees whose passion for life outside and deep expertise set the co-op apart. I know that we will go further together and cannot wait to join you and build our future."

Before joining as the CEO of REI, Mary Beth will be traveling to different places like stores and distribution centers of REI. The handover period will include talking to the people and community members who work in these centers and the partners who help the business. She will be looking after building relationships with employees for further planning and growth of the company.

Mary Beth's work experience at Nike, Sephora, and more

Mary Beth Laughton has completed her MBA at Harvard Business School. Before working at REI, Mary Beth worked at Nike from 2004 to 2012. She has also worked for seven years for Sephora (2012-2019) as EVP, Omni Retail; SVP, Digital & Omnichannel; VP/GM, E-commerce.

Laughton joined as the CEO and President of Athleta in 2019 and left in 2023. She has also been a board member of Instacart and Impossible Foods.

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Mary Beth Laughton will take the CEO position on March 31. As per company reports for 2021, the company successfully earned $3.7 billion in revenue. The company is also planning to let go of 400+ employees in January 2025 reportedly to improve its profits.