Petco appoints new financial chief

Petco has named Larry Rutkowski as EVP and CFO.



"Larry is a highly accomplished executive with a proven track record of successful financial leadership for both public and privately-held companies," said CEO Jim Myers. "His unique skillset and experience in a diverse array of industries will serve us well as we continue to advance Petco's leadership position in pet specialty. We're thrilled to add Larry to our executive team."



Rutkowski is charged with overseeing an overall corporate financial strategy that drives revenues, leads continuous margin and cost structure improvements and ensures the delivery of financial and accounting information to stakeholders in a way that is accurate, timely, relevant and transparent.



"It's an exciting opportunity to join a company that has built such a strong and trusted brand, demonstrating clear leadership in its category, while continuing to grow every day," said Rutkowski. "As a fellow pet parent, I'm thrilled to be part of a team that puts both business innovation and a collective passion for pets at the center of everything they do."



Prior to joining Petco, Rutkowski served as EVP and CFO for The Warnaco Group, an American textile and clothing corporation, and Primedia, a consumer advertising, new media and publishing company, both in New York. Previously, he also held senior financial leadership positions at General Electric and Walt Disney Company.



Rutkowski has a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Michigan State University. He will be based out of Petco's corporate support center in San Diego, where the company was founded in 1965.



Petco operates more than 1,300 locations across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, including more than 100 Unleashed by Petco locations, a smaller format neighborhood shop; nine Pooch Hotel destinations for pet daycare, boarding and spa services; and petco.com.