Business
Carter’s, Inc. Appoints Brand and Retail Veteran Sharon Price John as Chief Executive Officer and President
ATLANTA, May 01, 2026--Carter’s, Inc. ("Carter’s" or the "Company") (NYSE:CRI), North America’s largest and most-enduring apparel company exclusively for babies and young children, today announced the appointment of Sharon Price John as Chief Executive Officer and President, effective June 15, 2026. Ms. John will also be appointed as a member of the Carter’s Board of Directors on the effective date.
About this update from Carter's, Inc.
Company Reaffirms First Quarter and Full-Year Fiscal 2026 Outlook ATLANTA, May 01, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Carter’s, Inc. ("Carter’s" or the "Company") (NYSE:CRI), North America’s largest and most-enduring apparel company exclusively for babies and young children, today announced the appointment of Sharon Price John as Chief Executive Officer and President, effective June 15, 2026. Ms. John will also be appointed as a member of the Carter’s Board of Directors on the effective date. Richard F. Westenberger has been appointed interim Chief Executive Officer and President in addition to his responsibilities as Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer and will serve in this capacity during the transition period until Ms. John joins the Company next month. Ms. John will join Carter’s following the conclusion of her successful 13-year tenure as Chief Executive Officer and President of Build-A-Bear Workshop ("Build-A-Bear") (NYSE: BBW), which was recently announced. Ms. John led Build-A-Bear through a transformational period of improved profitability and growth. Over her tenure, Ms. John diversified the business model beyond traditional malls, accelerated e-commerce with an integrated omnichannel focus, expanded the company’s addressable market to gifting and collectors, and extended into content-led marketing. Under Ms. John’s leadership, Build-A-Bear was reimagined from both a consumer-facing and infrastructure perspective, while the company navigated retail headwinds and a global pandemic to deliver significant shareholder returns and the fifth consecutive year of record results in 2025. Prior to joining Build-A-Bear, Ms. John held a number of executive positions, including President of Stride Rite Children's Group, General Manager and Senior Vice President of Hasbro's Global Playskool business, and worked at Mattel as the Vice President of International Marketing for the Disney business unit and as a Director of the Barbie brand. Gretchen W. Schar, incoming Non-Executive Chair of Carter’s Board of Directors, said: "Sharon has a distinguished track record as a public company CEO and brings substantial and relevant experience in the children's space. Her success in revitalizing Build-A-Bear gives us confidence in her ability to accelerate the work underway at Carter's and leverage the power of our ...