Home Depot Appoints Johnson-Leipold to Board of Directors

The Home Depot® has announced the appointment of Helen Johnson-Leipold to its board of directors. Johnson-Leipold is chairperson and chief executive officer (CEO) of Johnson Outdoors Inc., a global outdoor recreational products company, and chairperson, Johnson Financial Group, a global financial services company, both headquartered in Racine, Wis.

According to Home Depot, Johnson-Leipold began her career in marketing and management at Foote, Cone & Belding in Chicago, Ill., in 1979, where she directed advertising for such companies as Kraft and Beatrice Foods. She joined S.C. Johnson of Racine, Wis., in September of 1985 and was named vice president of consumer marketing services worldwide in 1992 and vice president of personal and home care products, North America in 1997. According to Home Depot, she was the driving force behind S.C. Johnson's "family company" advertising campaign. In March 1999, Helen was elected chairperson and CEO of Johnson Outdoors Inc. and in July 2004 she was elected chairperson, Johnson Financial Group.

She serves as a director of S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. and JohnsonDiversey Inc., a cleaning and hygiene products and solutions provider in Sturtevant, Wis. She and her husband are also owners of the Nashville Predators, an NHL hockey team.

Home Depot said the appointment comes as part of the planned succession process to replace four of its existing directors who will retire over the next 18 months. The retiring directors include: John L. Clendenin, Claudio Gonzalez, Milledge Hart III and Kenneth Langone. According to the company's corporate governance guidelines, any director reaching the age of 72 in the calendar year immediately preceding the next annual shareholders meeting is not eligible for nomination.

"In searching for new directors, we seek to attract individuals with strong business experience, an appreciation for the changing retail landscape and a commitment to the highest standards of corporate governance," said Bob Nardelli, chairperson, president and CEO.

With Johnson-Leipold's appointment, the company said its board consists of 13 members, 10 of whom are independent.