Sep. 21, 2009 (Business Wire) -- BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc. (NYSE: BJ) today announced the election of Leonard A. Schlesinger, President of Babson College, to its Board of Directors. Mr. Schlesinger is a leader across academic and retail industry sectors and is an acclaimed author, co-author or editor of nine books.
Prior to joining Babson College in 2008, Mr. Schlesinger was Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of Limited Brands, where he was responsible for overseeing operations for Express, Limited Stores, Victoria’s Secret Beauty, Stores and Direct, Bath and Body Works, C.O. Bigelow, Henri Bendel and the White Barn Candle Company. At Limited Brands, he also held the positions of President, Beauty & Personal Care Group; Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer; and Executive Vice President – Human Resources, Leadership and Organization.
Before Limited Brands, Mr. Schlesinger worked at Au Bon Pain Co., Inc., serving first as Executive Vice President and Treasurer, Director and then later as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Director.
Mr. Schlesinger’s academic career includes twenty years at Harvard Business School, where, most recently he was the George Fisher Baker, Jr., Professor of Business Administration, leading MBA and executive education programs. He has also served as faculty member and administrator at Brown University.
Commenting on the appointment, BJ’s chairman Herb Zarkin, said, “We are extremely pleased to welcome Len Schlesinger to the BJ’s Board of Directors. His breadth of retail experience as well as his organizational and operational expertise will be a tremendous asset to BJ’s management team as we continue to create value and enhance our members’ shopping experience.”
Mr. Schlesinger currently serves as a member of the Corporation of the Winsor School. His past board service includes Borders Group, Inc., The Columbus Foundation, Combined Jewish Philanthropies, GC Companies Inc., Limited Brands Inc., Pegasystems, Inc., and The Ohio State University Medical Center Partners.
Mr. Schlesinger holds a Doctor of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, an MBA from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in American Civilization from Brown University.
About BJ’s Wholesale Club
BJ’s introduced the wholesale club concept to New England in 1984, and has since expanded to become a leading warehouse chain in the eastern United States. The Company currently operates 184 clubs in 15 states. BJ’s press releases and filings with the SEC are available on the Internet at www.bjsinvestor.com.
