Michael Steele, OfficeMax’s vice president of IR of six years, has been appointed to take on IR at Office Depot following the merger of the two companies last November.
In his new role the former board member of NIRI’s Chicago chapter will report to the company’s CFO Stephen Hare, while vice president of finance and treasurer Rich Leland, who used to oversee IR at the Boca Raton, Florida-headquartered firm, will assume ‘additional key responsibilities in an expanded role’, according to a company press release.
An MBA graduate of Loyola University Chicago and a chartered financial analyst, Steele previously worked as a financial analyst at communications products supplier Anixter International before joining ServiceMaster, a residential and commercial services firm, where he held various financial roles including M&A, financial planning and treasury.
The newly enlarged, NYSE-listed Office Depot is now the largest office supplies retailer in the US and boasts a market capitalization of $2.6 bn.
