Media Information - Executive Bios

• Ronald L. Sargent, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
• Michael Miles, President & Chief Operating Officer
• Kristin Campbell, Senior Vice President & General Counsel
• Joseph G. Doody, President, North American Delivery
• Shira Goodman, Executive Vice President, Human Resources
• Brian T. Light, Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer
• John J. Mahoney, Vice Chairman & Chief Financial Officer
• Steve Matyas, President, Staples Business Depot
• Demos Parneros, President, U.S. Stores

Ronald L. Sargent,

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Ron is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Staples. He was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2005 and has served as CEO since 2002. Ron has held a variety of leadership roles in the company. He was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer in 1998, leading Staples' worldwide operations, retail superstores, delivery business, supply chain management and merchandising and marketing initiatives.  In 1991 he was responsible for launching Staples' delivery business. Sargent began his career at Staples in 1989 as Regional Vice President, leading the company's market entry in Ohio. 

Before joining Staples, Ron held a variety of positions at the grocery chain, The Kroger Company where he did jobs ranging from stocking shelves and working in the mailroom to store operations, human resources, strategy, sales and marketing. 

He currently serves on the Boards of Mattel, Inc. and The Kroger Co.  Ron is also a member of the board of advisors to the Boston College Carroll School of Management. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School.

Ron's favorite office product is the Staples® One–Touch™ stapler.

back to top

Michael Miles,

President & Chief Operating Officer

Mike is Staples’ President and Chief Operating Officer.  He has line responsibility for Staples International, including Staples’ businesses in Europe, South America, Asia and Australia, as well as for the retail business in Canada. In addition, Mike oversees Staples Brand Group, Corporate Advertising and Public Relations. Mike began his career at Staples in 2003 as Chief Operating Officer, with responsibility for US Retail, including the marketing, merchandising and supply chain, and real estate functions. He was promoted to President and COO in 2006 and has most recently had responsibility for all of Staples' North American business as well as Staples Brands Group, Corporate Advertising and Public Relations.

Before joining Staples, Mike was COO of Yum! Brands’ Pizza Hut division.  He joined PepsiCo in 1993 where he was Vice President of Strategic Planning and moved to its Pizza Hut unit in 1994 as a Division Vice President. Before that, he worked at Bain and Company, a Boston– based management consulting firm.

Mike is a member of the Board of Directors of Western Union. A native of Chicago, he was raised in Louisville, Kentucky. He graduated from Yale University, and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School.

Mike's favorite office supply is the uni–ball® Gel Impact RT pen.

back to top

Kristin Campbell,

Senior Vice President & General Counsel

Kristin is Staples' Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, responsible for the strategic management of the company's Legal group, including corporate governance, regulatory compliance, ethics and environmental affairs. She previously served as deputy general counsel, managing the legal team in its support of business and functional groups throughout the company. She has also been responsible for Staples' international legal matters in Europe, Asia and South America. She joined Staples in 1993 as real estate counsel.

Prior to joining Staples, Kristin worked at the law firm Goodwin Proctor in Boston. She began her career as a lawyer with the law firm Rackemann, Sawyer & Brewster in Boston.

She is a board member of the Association of Corporate Counsel–Northeast Chapter and has been a member of the Massachusetts Bar since 1987. Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, Kristin is a graduate of Cornell University School of Law.

Kristin's favorite office product is the Sharpie® Retractable Marker.

back to top

Joseph G. Doody,

President, North American Delivery

Joe is President of Staples’ North American Delivery (NAD) business. He is responsible for Staples Contract, which serves medium sized to Fortune 1000 business; Staples Business Delivery®, which serves small to medium–sized business; and Quill, a 50–year–old direct marketer of office products to small and medium–sized businesses.  Joe joined Staples in 1998 as President of what was then called Staples Contract and Commercial.

Before joining Staples, he was President of Danka’s Office Imaging Business in North America. From 1974 to 1997 he worked at Eastman Kodak in various roles of growing responsibility, the last being General Manager and Vice President, North America, Office Imaging.

Joe is member of the Simon School’s Executive Advisory Committee and serves on the board of Casella Waste Systems.

Born and raised in Batavia, New York, Joe graduated from the State University of New York at Brockport with a degree in economics.  He received his MBA from the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester.

Joe's favorite office supply is the uni–ball® Jetstream Uni pen.

back to top

Shira Goodman,

Executive Vice President, Human Resources

Shira is Executive Vice President of Human Resources, responsible for Staples’ global HR strategies and programs that advance the company’s commitment to be the world’s best office products company. Shira joined Staples in 1992 and has served in a number of leadership roles across the company. She recently served as Executive Vice President of Marketing responsible for Staples’ marketing, advertising, public relations and charitable giving programs and led the company’s global business integration efforts following Staples’ acquisition of Corporate Express in 2008. She previously held senior executive positions in the company’s delivery business units which serve business customers of all sizes.

Shira came to Staples from Bain and Company where she was a Manager. Staples was one of her clients and she helped develop the strategy to launch Staples’ catalog business.

Shira sits on the Board of Directors of CarMax, Inc. A native of Chicago, she was raised in Minneapolis.  She holds a Master of Management Science degree with a concentration in strategy and marketing from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University.

Shira's favorite office product is the Staples® One–Touch™ stapler.

back to top

Brian T. Light,

Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer

Brian is the Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Staples, responsible for the information systems supporting the company’s home office, U.S. retail and North American delivery operations.  He was appointed to his current position in November 2005.  From 2002 to 2005, Brian was Executive Vice President, Business Delivery for Staples, leading the catalog and e–commerce business in the U.S. and Canada.  He also led Staples’ New Business Development organization, identifying growth vehicles and partnership opportunities.  Brian joined Staples in 1998 as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer.

Before joining Staples, Brian served as an associate partner in the Los Angeles office of Accenture. He was a leader in Accenture’s Food & Consumer Packaged Goods practice, and evaluated information systems and processes for several Fortune 500 companies. He began his career there in 1986.

Brian sits on the Board of Directors at Borders Group, Inc. Born and raised in California, he graduated from the University of California at Irvine.    

Brian’s favorite office product is his HP all–in–one printer.

back to top

John J. Mahoney,

Vice Chairman & Chief Financial Officer

John is Staples' Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer responsible for all of the company’s financial operations, investor relations, information systems, and strategy. He joined Staples in 1996 as Chief Financial Officer, was named Chief Administrative Officer in 1997 and was named Vice Chairman in January 2006.

Before joining Staples, John was a partner with the accounting firm of Ernst & Young where he worked for 20 years, including service in the firm’s National Office Accounting and Auditing group. 

He serves on the Board of Directors of Chico's FAS, Inc.

A native of Brighton, Massachusetts, John graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester Massachusetts and has his MBA from Northeastern University. 

John’s favorite office product is the legal pad.

back to top

Steve Matyas,

President, Staples Business Depot

Steve is President of The Business Depot, LTD, which operates as Staples Business Depot throughout Canada, and as Bureau en Gros in the province of Quebec. He has been with the company since it was founded in 1991.  Previously, he served as Vice President, Sales and Operations and as Vice President, Operations, Human Resources and Store Planning.

Before joining Staples, he was Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Koffler and Associates where he was responsible for the operation of a chain of greeting card and stationery stores. Steve also worked in a variety of leadership positions at Superpharm Ltd and Shoppers Drug Mart Ltd, franchise pharmacy chains.  Steve began his professional career with Abbott Laboratories in sales.

Steve is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Retail Council of Canada, a Director of EPCOR Utilities Inc., K–Bro Linen Income Trust Fund, and sits on the Advisory Committee of the School of Retail Management at Ryerson University in Toronto. 

Steve was born in Europe and raised in Windsor, Ontario. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in genetics from the University of Toronto. 

Steve's favorite office product is the Staples® One–Touch™ stapler.

back to top

Demos Parneros,

President, U.S. Stores

Demos is Staples President of U.S. Stores, responsible for retail operations throughout the United States. Before being named President of U.S. stores in 2002, he served in a wide variety of positions in the retail organization including, human resources, marketing, merchandising and store operations. In 1997, he was named Senior Vice President responsible for all stores in the Mid–Atlantic and Southern U.S.  Demos joined Staples as a General Manager in 1987 and opened the first Staples store in New York City.

Demos began his retail career as a management trainee in Macy’s New York division.  Born in Cyprus, he was raised in Queens, New York. Demos graduated from New York University.

Demos’ favorite office product is the Staples Ultra–Quiet Micro Cut Shredder.

back to top