Academy Sports announces planned leadership succession

Academy Sports announced that, as a result of a planned succession process, the following changes to Academy’s executive leadership team will be effective as of June 1: Ken C. Hicks, Chairman, President and CEO, will transition from President and CEO to Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors; Steven Lawrence, EVP and Chief Merchandising Officer, will become CEO and a member of the Board of Directors. Lawrence will continue to serve as CMO until a successor is selected and duly appointed. Michael P. Mullican, EVP and CFO, will become President and assume additional responsibilities for the strategic planning, logistics & supply chain, legal, compliance, and risk management functions, in addition to his existing financial planning & analysis, accounting, treasury, tax, internal audit, invesor relations, loss prevention, and customer insights & strategy responsibilities. Mullican will continue to serve as CFO until a successor is selected and duly appointed. Samuel Johnson, EVP, Retail Operations, will assume additional responsibilities for the real estate, construction and store design functions. As Executive Chairman, Hicks will continue to lead the Board of Directors. Hicks will also work closely with Lawrence to ensure a smooth leadership transition. Hicks has served as Academy’s Chairman, President and CEO since May 2018 and on its Board since May 2017. Prior to joining Academy, he held senior positions at Foot Locker, J.C. Penney, Payless ShoeSource, Home Shopping Network, May Department Stores Company, and McKinsey & Company. Lawrence joined Academy in February 2019 and previously held leadership positions at francesca’s, Stage Stores, J.C. Penney, and Foley’s. Mullican has served as EVP & CFO since January 2018. He previously served as Academy’s EVP and General Counsel from February 2017 to January 2018. Johnson has served as EVP, Retail Operations since April 2017 and previously held senior positions for hhgregg and Sears.