Follett Higher Education Group Announces Helena Buonanno Foulkes as New Executive Board Chair
A visionary and purpose-driven leader, Foulkes brings deep experience in transforming corporations to her new role as advisor to the executive leadership team.
WESTCHESTER, ILL., Jan 23, 2023 – Follett Higher Education Group announced today the appointment of Helena Buonanno Foulkes as Executive Chair of the company’s Board of Directors. In this role, Foulkes will serve as an advisor to the executive leadership team, support operational and strategic business objectives, and enhance campus engagement and outreach efforts.
Most recently, Foulkes was CEO of Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), where she led a significant transformation of the business. Prior to HBC, Foulkes spent 25 years at CVS Health, including as President of CVS Pharmacy and Executive Vice President of CVS Health, where she helped shape the strategic vision and was the principal architect of the company’s move to become a recognized leader in health care.
“Not only does Helena bring decades of experience in corporate leadership, consumer strategy, and digital innovation, she is also a passionate advocate for education,” said Follett Higher Education CEO Emmanual Kolady. “I had the privilege of working with Helena during my tenure at CVS Health, and have witnessed firsthand her dedication, drive, and passion. She is a creative thinker and an inspiring and tenacious doer, and I know she will be a tremendous asset to our company.”
In addition to her professional expertise, Foulkes recently completed a term as president of Harvard University’s Board of Overseers, one of the university’s two governing boards responsible for assuring institutional quality and overall commitment to learning. Foulkes has also solidified a reputation as a vocal proponent of educational equity and youth opportunity, having served on the board of The Wallace Foundation and the National Boys and Girls Clubs.
Foulkes said, “I’m tremendously excited to serve as Executive Chair and support the company’s partnerships with college campuses across North America. This is an opportunity to help reimagine the future of Follett Higher Education and accelerate the company’s mission to inspire, enable, and celebrate the academic journey.”
For more information about Follett Higher Education, visit www.highered.follett.com.
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About Follett Higher Education | www.highered.follett.com
Follett Higher Education is a leading educational service provider and omnichannel retailer providing students, faculty and staff, parents, and fans the course materials, learning tools and retail services needed to successfully support the academic, athletic, and collegiate journey. Follett Higher Education supports over 6 million students through its 1,100 physical and 1,750 eCommerce collegiate retail stores across North America.
