US’ Carter’s taps retail veteran Sharon Price John as new CEO

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.

Carter’s, Inc. appointed Sharon Price John as CEO & president effective June 15, 2026, succeeding Douglas C. Palladini.
Richard F. Westenberger will serve as interim CEO.
John, ex-Build-A-Bear Workshop chief, drove profitability, omnichannel growth and brand transformation; she also joins the board.
Carter’s reaffirmed FY26 outlook, amid leadership transition and strategic reset.

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 iconic brands to drive sustainable growth and shareholder value creation. Carter’s is showing solid momentum and we believe Sharon is the perfect fit to lead the Company into the future.”

Ms. John added, “For over 160 years, Carter’s has been a trusted resource as generations of young parents have made this brand their first choice in clothing for the many amazing moments in the life of a child. I am delighted to be joining a company with such a proud history and honored to be entrusted with leading it forward at this pivotal moment. As the leader in young children’s apparel, Carter’s enjoys rich brand equity with consumers and is trusted for the quality, style, and value of its products. We will remain focused on ensuring that Carter’s continues to meet the evolving needs of today’s families and caregivers.”

In connection with Ms. John’s appointment and effective immediately, Douglas C. Palladini has departed the Company as Chief Executive Officer and President, and as a member of the Board of Directors.

William J. Montgoris, outgoing Non-Executive Chair of the Board, commented, “On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Doug for his contributions to Carter’s during a pivotal year of reset and regained momentum in the business. At the Board’s direction, Doug led a series of initiatives to help Carter’s manage the onset of record tariffs, streamline the organization structure, and improve the quality and productivity of our retail store fleet. We believe it is the right time to transition Carter’s leadership. We sincerely appreciate Doug’s contributions and wish him all the best in his next chapter.”

The Company today also reaffirmed its first quarter and full-year fiscal 2026 outlook that was provided on February 27, 2026. As announced this week, Carter’s will report its results for the first quarter and hold a call with investors and analysts on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.