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Sharon John (née Price, born January 29, 1964) is an American businessperson, public speaker, author, podcast host and executive producer as well as the President and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW).

Education

John graduated from Lincoln County High School in Fayetteville, Tennessee in 1986.

She graduated with honors from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree. She has received the Heilman Award as a distinguished alumnus of the College of Communications and the Torchbearer Award as a distinguished alumnus of the university. ^[1] In 2016, she was recognized by the university as one of the top 100 graduates of the last 100 years to commemorate the centennial celebration of the university's Torchbearer Magazine. ^[2]

She holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Columbia University (1994) with an emphasis on international business. While there, she attended Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium) as a part of the international exchange program. In 2014, she received the distinguished alumna award from Columbia Women in Business.

Career

Advertising

Before earning her MBA, John's career began in the advertising industry with various agencies. ^[3] Starting in 1989 in New York City, she worked at DDB Worldwide on The Hershey Company account. She then worked at Bates USA until 1991 as the Account Supervisor on the Snickers, M&M's and Mars, Incorporated businesses.

Toy industry

After receiving her MBA, John held a range of senior management positions in the toy industry. She spent seven years at Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) in roles including the General Manager and Senior Vice President of Global Preschool (inclusive of Playskool and Play-Doh) and as the General Manager and Senior Vice President for the U.S. Toy Division. During her tenure, she oversaw a wide array of iconic brands, including Transformers, Nerf, Littlest Pet Shop, ^[4] and My Little Pony, while managing licensing relationships such as Star Wars and Marvel.

John served as the President of the Stride Rite Children's Group LLC (SRCG) at Wolverine World Wide (NYSE: WWW) from 2010 to 2013. ^[5] She oversaw all functions of the children's footwear brand including product development, wholesale sales to major department stores, marketing, planning and distribution, as well as the operations oversite of specialty retail locations and franchisees. During this time, SRCG was also responsible for the development and distribution of the children's versions of the other footwear brands housed at the company including Sperry Top-Sider, Saucony, Keds and Merrell (company).

Build-A-Bear

Build-A-Bear Workshop was started in 1997 in St. Louis, MO as an experience-based mall retailer. The company has since evolved into a multi-generational, global brand with over 500 locations, ^[6] spanning hospitality, cruise ships and amusement parks. ^[7]

In recent years, Build-A-Bear has pivoted from a children's-based mall retailer to a multi-channel, multi-dimensional organization. ^[8] The company developed Build-A-Bear Entertainment, ^[9] which includes short-form video, films, Build-A-Bear Radio ^[10] (with iHeartMedia), and Build-A-Bear Tycoon ^[11] on Roblox.

In 2018, Build-A-Bear garnered over one billion media impressions in a single day ^[12] spurred by the "Pay Your Age Day" promotion. The following day, John discussed the event on the NBC's Today (American TV program). ^[13]

In 2020, Build-A-Bear experienced the COVID-induced forced closure of 100% of all physical retail locations. In 2021, Build-A-Bear Workshop delivered the most profitable year in its history. ^[14]

John has been president and CEO of Build-A-Bear since 2013. ^[15]

Other business ventures

John has served as a member of the board of directors for Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) since 2014. ^[16] Other toy industry experience includes serving as the Vice President of Product Development and Marketing at the U.S. Division of Vtech Toys as well as working in business units for both the Barbie brand and the Disney licensing division at Mattel (NYSE: MAT) for over 5 years. In her role in Disney business, John served as the Director of European Marketing in Paris, France which led to her becoming the Vice President of International Marketing for the Disney licensing division upon her return in 1998.

Public appearances

John often participates in national media interviews. ^[17] Select engagements include: United Nations with IDEAGEN, ^[18] Salesforce Dreamforce keynote and panel, Shoptalk keynote, Best Places to Work Conference keynote, Women in Retail Leadership Summit keynote, ^[19] Columbia Business School address, and University of Tennessee College of Communications Commencement. ^[20]

Select philanthropy and organizational memberships

John supports, is a member of, and/or has served on a number of national and regional philanthropic boards and organizations, including KABOOM!, the Board of Directors of The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the Board of Visitors for the University of Tennessee College of Communications, and IDEAGEN. She also is an avid supporter of the Build-A-Bear Foundation.

She is a member of the Toy Association (TIA) and has served on the executive committee since 2020.

John is also part of the Fortune "Most Powerful Women" (MPW) organization, a member of The Committee of 200 (C200), and engaged in the Women Corporate Directors (WCD) group. ^[21] John has also been a contributing writer to Fortune. ^[22]

Books

John's first book ^[23] is titled Stories and Heart: Unlock the Power of Personal Stories to Create a Life You Love. ^[24]

The book launched on January 17, 2023, and achieved Amazon Best Seller status on the first day in the Business Mentoring and Coaching category.

Podcast

John is the host of a podcast inspired by her book, also entitled Stories & Heart: Unlock the Power of Personal Stories to Create a Life You Love. ^[25] The podcast is created and produced in conjunction with Forbes Books. ^[26]

TV and film

Select accomplishments and recognition

• CEO Magazine, Transformative CEO of the Year 2020 & 2022 ^[31]
• Retail Today, Top 50 Outstanding Women in Retail 2022 ^[32]
• Forbes Best Mid-Sized Companies (BBW, multiple years) ^[33]
• Fortune 100 Best Places to Work (BBW, multiple years) ^[34]
• Fortune, Most Powerful Women; "MPW Insider" contributing writer 2014/15 ^[23]
• Earnshaw's Company of the Year (SRCG, 2012) ^[35]
• "Toy of the Year" (TOTY) (seven awards from 2005 to 2009) ^[36]
• "Wonder Woman of Toys" from Women in Toys (WIT) 2009 ^[37]

Personal life

John lives in St. Louis with her husband, three children and two cats.^{[ citation needed]}

References