Best Buy in management shakeup; U.S. unit head to leave

Minneapolis -- Best Buy on Wednesday announced major changes to its leadership organization. The company is removing the senior-most layer of the U.S. operation is being removed; resulting in what it called “a leaner structure intended to improve the company’s agility.”

“One thing I have learned in helping turn companies around is that a business needs to have a nimble organization,” said Best Buy president and CEO Hubert Joly. “Our new organization will help build a closer connection to our customers and front line employees, as well as accelerate our transformation.”

Effective January 1, 2013, Best Buy’s operations in the U.S. will be structured around the following groups:

• Two channels -- Online and Retail: While online continues to be overseen by Stephen Gillett, president of digital and marketing, Shawn Score is appointed to lead the U.S. retail channel.
• Three business groups -- Connectivity, Home and Services: Jude Buckley is promoted to head the Connectivity Business Group, succeeding Shawn Score, while Home and Services will continue to be led respectively by Mike Mohan and George Sherman.
• Support functions, including human resources, finance, legal and marketing, where there are no leadership changes.

In this phase of Best Buy’s transformation, these groups will report directly to Joly.

The current president of Best Buy’s U.S. business, Mike Vitelli, will retire from the company at the end of the fiscal year. He will work closely with Joly to ensure a smooth transition. Executive VP of U.S. operations Tim Sheehan will leave the company at the end of the month.

The channel and business group changes will be effective on January 1, 2013, as Best Buy focuses more immediately on the holiday selling season.