There has been a planned executive shake-up at Academy Sports + Outdoors recently. Their CEO retired, which led to a number of promotions. That trend has continued, as they have announced a new CFO.
Carl Ford has been promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective July 12, 2023. He was previously Academy’s Senior Vice President, Finance since January 2019.
The CFO role was vacant because, Michael Mullican, their previous CFO, was promoted to President.
I am thrilled to announce the promotion of Carl Ford to Chief Financial Officer. He has an incredible financial acumen and track record of driving positive results at Academy. He played an integral role in helping us navigate the pandemic, achieve our previous long-range plan, as well as supporting our IPO and the development of our new long-range plan. I’m confident Carl and his team will continue to be excellent stewards of our capital as they drive value for our shareholders.
Michael Mullican Academy Sports + Outdoors President
Carl Ford’s experience immediately prior to Academy was with Belk for 15 years, culminating as their VP of Financial Planning and Analysis. He also has big 4 audit experience with Deloitte & Touche.
I’m humbled and excited for the opportunity to lead our finance organization into the future,” said Mr. Ford. “Under Michael’s leadership, we developed a strong financial team, redefined business processes, and established Academy within the financial community. The Company has a strong balance sheet and solid cash flow to support our growth and create value for our shareholders. I look forward to partnering with Steve and Michael as we focus on long-term growth and profitability as we pursue our vision of becoming the best sports and outdoors retailer in the country.
Carl Ford, Incoming CFO of Academy Sports
It’s good to see Academy continue to promote from within their company. It’s good for their employees and for continuity of their growth strategy. They’re planning a slew of store openings, and have just started moving farther north with an opening in Peoria, IL.