Ballard expands role at Best Buy

MINNEAPOLIS Best Buy announced Monday that it has expanded the role of Shari Ballard, evp, to include the U.S. entertainment business. In her new role as evp of entertainment, multichannel and human capital, Ballard continues to oversee human resources, legal, international call centers and U.S. Web sites. She reports to Brian Dunn, president and coo, for the U.S. entertainment business, and to Brad Anderson, ceo, for multichannel and human capital.

As part of this change, Gary Arnold, formerly senior vp of Best Buy's U.S. entertainment business, now serves as senior entertainment officer, a new role in which he focuses full-time on bringing more entertainment access and exclusive offers to Best Buy's customers around the world. Arnold, based on the West Coast, now reports to both Ballard and Barry Judge, senior vp of marketing. Ballard is expected to name Arnold's successor to the entertainment business leadership role in the near future.

Ballard joined Best Buy in 1993 as an assistant store manager and served as general manager of a store in Flint, Mich., before moving to human resources in 1997. She was named evp of human resources and legal in 2004, and in 2006 her work expanded to include the U.S. Web sites and call centers.