Backcountry.com Announces New Chief Financial Officer
Backcountry, the premier specialty retailer of outdoor gear, has announced the hiring of Jim Bell as the company’s new chief financial officer, effective April 19th. The addition of the veteran finance executive who has built and led world-class organizations further strengthens Backcountry’s leadership team at a critical time for the brand as it capitalizes on strong growth in e-commerce, while also preparing to expand its brick-and-mortar retail footprint.
Bell most recently served as executive vice president and chief financial officer for GameStop, where he led global finance, corporate strategy and real-estate development for the Fortune 500 company. Prior to that role, Bell served as chief financial officer and interim chief executive officer for Wok Holdings, the parent of PF Changs, as well as the COO and CEO of omni-channel retailer, Coldwater Creek. Bell brings more than 30 years of operational and financial experience around the world in multi-site, omni-channel retail, restaurants, and technology companies, where he built a strong record of enhancing business performance, leading strategic technology-driven growth initiatives and managing public and private equity and debt growth capital. Bell also served as a U.S. Naval flight officer for nearly a decade.
“Backcountry has a rich history in the outdoor space, and I’m excited to join a business that I am passionate about with such a talented leadership team,” Bell says. “Backcountry’s CEO Melanie Cox has done a phenomenal job creating a strategy that keeps the brand true to its roots and customers, while also growing the business. I look forward to working with Melanie and the entire Backcountry team to execute the next chapter of growth and expansion, including giving our customers fantastic new ways to engage the brand, all with a focus on delivering long-term value creation.”
With the company’s appointment of Melanie Cox as CEO in June 2020, Backcountry’s board of directors signaled its commitment to building a strong executive team that will lead the brand forward. The board’s hiring of Jim Bell rounds out Backcountry’s elite leadership team as it prepares to expand its omni-channel footprint by opening retail locations in Boulder, Colorado and Park City, Utah—an integral part of its strategy to expand its reach and build deeper relationships with both existing customers as well as a new generation of outdoorists who have formed connections with the outdoors during the pandemic.
“We are impressed by the results Jim has produced throughout his career working with both private and public companies, as well as serving our nation,” says Melanie Cox, Backcountry CEO. “His experience will be a great asset to Backcountry as we continue to strengthen our position as the industry leader in both e-commerce and now retail, with stores as a growing part of our future. Jim Bell joins our executive team at a critical time, as we are embarking on many new and exciting ways to continue to enhance the value of the brand and the business as well as our contributions to the outdoors at large—an area of particular importance as we welcome so many new customers to the wonders that only the outdoors can offer.”
