Westchester, Ill. — Follett Higher Education, a leading educational service provider and the largest campus retailer in North America, has named Roger Francis as its new chief of stores. He brings more than 25 years of executive experience leading transformation across retail, healthcare, foodservice and distribution.
In his new role, Francis will lead the teams that operate Follett’s 1,000+ retail locations, focusing on creating exceptional customer experiences for the students, faculty, fans and alumni Follett serves through its partnerships with campuses across the U.S. and Canada.
Francis succeeds Stephen Bone, who recently announced his retirement as chief of stores after 4 years with Follett.
“I want to thank Stephen for his tremendous contributions to Follett and the impact he has made on our organization,” says Emmanuel Kolady, chief executive officer of Follett Higher Education. “As we look ahead, Roger is an accomplished operational leader who understands how to translate strategy into execution while keeping people and customers at the center of the work. His experience leading complex organizations, developing strong teams and driving meaningful transformation will be an important asset as we continue to grow our retail organization and deliver greater value for our campus partners.”
Throughout his career, Francis has held senior executive roles with organizations including Sysco, National Vision and CVS Health, leading operations across the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.
With more than 1,000 physical and online collegiate retail stores across North America, Follett works with colleges and universities to provide course materials, learning tools, officially licensed collegiate merchandise and retail experiences. For more information, visit www.Follett.com.
SOURCE: Follett Higher Education Group LLC