Staples has appointed Chris Powers as Chief Growth Officer. In this elevated role, he will focus on driving sustainable growth by aligning key levers across merchandising, marketing, pricing, and e-commerce into one cohesive strategy. The move formalizes a broader growth mandate at the company as Staples continues to integrate commercial and digital priorities more tightly.
Powers is a long-tenured Staples executive who has held multiple leadership roles across the company over the years. Publicly available profile information shows he previously worked at Staples in investor relations and has continued to advance within the organization before being promoted to Chief Growth Officer. His appointment reflects an internal elevation rather than an external hire, indicating confidence in a leader with deep familiarity across Staples’ business.
Why this matters: This appointment signals that Staples is treating growth as a cross-functional operating system, not a set of separate departmental goals. Pulling merchandising, marketing, pricing, and e-commerce under a single executive suggests the company wants tighter execution, faster decision-making, and a more unified customer and commercial strategy in a retail environment where margin discipline and digital coordination matter more than ever.
