SAN DEIGO — Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. announced Aug. 19 the appointment of Brian LaRose as the pet retailer’s new chief financial officer, effective immediately. LaRose succeeds Mike Nuzzo, who will go on as chief operating officer and president of Petco Services.

LaRose has served as Petco’s senior vice president of finance since September 2020, where he oversaw all aspects of finance and operations for the company including budgeting, forecasting, investor relations, controllership and treasury.

As chief financial officer, LaRose will manage corporate strategy, financial strategy, performance, reporting and long-term business planning for Petco. He will report to Ron Coughlin, chairman and chief executive officer of the company.

"Brian is a seasoned leader and I'm thrilled he's taking on this role," Coughlin said. "Brian brings a wealth of expertise which will be crucial in helping to fuel our continued growth and improving the lives of pets, pet parents and our Petco partners. He has already made a significant impact at Petco, including a key role during the IPO process and refinancing, resulting in a dramatically strengthened balance sheet. I know Brian will continue to provide strong leadership as CFO, and Mike will ensure a smooth transition as he shifts his focus to operations and services.

"On behalf of the board of directors and the team at Petco, I want to thank Mike for being a constant source of strong and experienced leadership bridging three critical roles as CFO, COO, and president of Petco Services through our transformation, during the IPO process, and the first half of 2021,” Coughlin added. “As we continue our services and vet expansion and enhance our supply chain capabilities to meet the growth of the business, Mike's leadership will continue to be a significant asset to the team."

LaRose draws experience from previous financial and digital leadership roles. Before joining Petco in 2020, he served as divisional chief financial officer for HP Inc.’s 3D business division, where he led the separation management office amid the separation of HP into two publicly traded companies. At HP, LaRose also led the company’s SEC reporting group and helped to manage investor relations across more than 15 countries.

LaRose began his career with Deloitte, where he worked on mergers and acquisitions, as well as audit practices.

LaRose received his bachelor’s degree from Colby College and went on to earn a Master of Business Administration degree from Northeastern University.

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