Conn’s Hires Accounting Exec, Announces Retirement of Retail Chief

December 15, 2016  by Larry Thomas in Executive Changes, Industry   

Bchara will succeed Mark Haley who will remain with the company for 120 days to ensure a smooth transition.

In his new role, Bchara will be responsible for managing the accounting, financial reporting and tax functions. He will report to Lee Wright, executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Bchara joins Conn’s from BankUnited, where he had been chief accounting officer since 2013. He also served as loan controller of BankUnited from 2011 to 2013. Bchara started his career at PwC, where he served in several groups and progressive roles with experience in audit, mergers and acquisitions, and general advisory within the financial services sector.

Trahan joined Conn’s in 1986 and has since served in various capacities, including sales, store operations, distribution and merchandising.

As president of retail, a position he has held since 2008, Trahan was responsible for retail and distribution operations, merchandising and product purchasing functions, as well as product display and pricing operations.

Since joining the company, Trahan has supported the massive expansion of Conn’s retail segment, growing the business from 20 stores with $100 million in sales to 113 stores with over $1.3 billion in sales.

"David has been a strong contributor to our company for 30 years and has helped transform Conn’s into the successful specialty retailer it is today,” said Norm Miller, chairman and CEO. “While he will be missed, we are confident in the underlying strengths of our retail business and are excited at the opportunity to continue growing the organization’s top-tier talent.”

No replacement for Trahan was named.