Build-A-Bear Workshop CEO joins Jack in the Box board

Build-A-Bear Workshop CEO Sharon John will be joining Jack in the Box’s board of directors, effective September 18.



John has more than 25 years of retail marketing, branding and executive management experience in the public and private sectors. Prior to joining Build-A-Bear Workshop in 2013, she served three years as president of the Stride Rite Children’s Group, a footwear division of Wolverine Worldwide with more than 300 stores in the U.S. and abroad.



From 2002 to 2010 John held several senior management roles with Hasbro, most recently as GM and SVP of its global preschool/Playskool business unit and, prior to that as the SVP and GM of the U.S. toy division where she managed a wide portfolio of brands, including NERF, Transformers and My Little Pony. In 2002, John founded her own toy company, Checkerboard Toys, and served as its CEO until joining Hasbro.



In 1999 John was VP of marketing and product development for the U.S. toy division of Vtech Holdings Ltd., and from 1994 to 1999 she held several senior management positions at Mattel, most recently as VP of international marketing for the company’s Disney business unit. John also has experience working at top marketing and advertising agencies, including DDB Needham Worldwide and Backer Spielvolgel Bates, both in New York.



“Sharon is a tremendous addition to our board,” said Lenny Comma, chairman and CEO at Jack in the Box. “For more than two decades she’s been a driving force at some of the most popular consumer brands in North America. We’re looking forward to benefiting from her extensive experience positioning businesses like Build-A-Bear Workshop and Stride Rite for growth and success as we continue to expand our Jack in the Box and Qdoba brands.”



John has a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and an MBA in international business and marketing from Columbia University in New York.



Jack in the Box, based in San Diego, is a restaurant company that operates and franchises Jack in the Box restaurants, one of the nation’s largest hamburger chains, with more than 2,250 restaurants in 21 states. Additionally, through a wholly owned subsidiary, the company operates and franchises Qdoba Mexican Grill, with more than 600 restaurants in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.