Bed Bath & Beyond Taps John Barresi as SVP Finance, Chief Accounting Officer

May 18, 2021  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

Barresi will report to Gustavo Arnal, executive vice president and chief financial officer. In the newly created role, Barresi will lead a team responsible for the development and execution of all corporate accounting and financial reporting functions, including maintenance of fiscal records, management of transactional shared services, preparation of internal and external financial reports, SEC and other regulatory reporting, among other corporate accounting activities.

The company announced additional changes in senior finance positions, each of whom will report into Arnal, including:

• The promotion of Laura Crossen to SVP, treasury, tax, and finance transformation, effective immediately and also reporting into Arnal. Crossen was previously vice president and has been with the company since 2001. 
• Susie A. Kim as vice president of investor relations, succeeding Janet Barth. Kim was most recently vice president of investor relations and treasurer for ABM Industries, Inc. She previously held investor relations positions with Aéropostale and, before that, was an equity research analyst. 
• Lisa Adinolfi as vice president, controls, audit and risk services, succeeding Pasquale Monterosso. Adinolfi most recently served as partner with PwC's Risk Assurance group.

Arnal said, "John is a strong leader with broad business experiences and proven ability to effectively analyze complex financial issues with sound business judgment. As we continue to execute against our transformation plan and become a true omni-always retailer, we are pleased to welcome John to our finance leadership team and implement best-in-class corporate accounting practices."

"Laura has been instrumental in helping us execute our transformation, especially in divesting businesses to focus the Company on our core banners. Laura has demonstrated her strong financial capabilities. I congratulate Laura on this well-deserved promotion, and welcome Susie and Lisa to Bed Bath & Beyond," added Arnal.

Barresi comes to Bed Bath & Beyond from Tiffany & Co., where he most recently served as vice president of global business transformation. In this role, Barresi was responsible for the oversight and management of a multi-year effort to replace or upgrade the company's business processes and information systems. He previously served as Tiffany's vice president and corporate controller and led its accounting, external reporting, internal controls, and financial reporting processes. Prior to joining Tiffany in 2009, he was the chief audit executive for The McGraw-Hill Companies. A certified public accountant, Barresi began his career with PwC in audit and business advisory capacities.

Barresi said, "I am honored to join Bed Bath & Beyond, especially as this dynamic retailer is in the midst of such an exciting transformation. I look forward to working with Gustavo and team to design and execute corporate accounting and financial reporting practices that meet the evolving needs of both our internal customers and external stakeholders."