Demos Parneros

Demos Parneros is a strategic retail and e-commerce executive and board advisor with extensive experience driving growth, profitability, and large-scale business transformation. He currently serves on the Retail Advisory Board of Office Depot / OfficeMax, an Atlas Holdings portfolio company, where he supports more than 800 stores and 15,000 associates. Across his career, Demos has held senior leadership roles at Barnes & Noble and Staples, where he was at the forefront of digital adoption and omnichannel initiatives designed to address secular shifts in the retail industry. He is known for building high-performance executive teams, restructuring legacy retail and e-commerce organizations, launching innovative store formats, and cultivating strong relationships within the Wall Street analyst and investor communities.

In his prior executive positions, Demos served as Chief Operating Officer and then Chief Executive Officer of Barnes & Noble (2016–2018), where he led a comprehensive turnaround effort to address declining sales, profitability, and market share across the Fortune 500 bookseller’s more than 600 stores. Initially recruited to stabilize the organization, he rebuilt the executive leadership team by filling 15 critical roles, strengthened cross-functional collaboration, and simplified core operating processes. He implemented a disciplined cost-reduction program, launched a rigorous test-and-learn approach to merchandising and format innovation, and oversaw the development of a smaller, more productive store prototype with advanced omnichannel capabilities.

Before joining Barnes & Noble, Demos spent 28 years at Staples, where he ultimately served as President, North American Stores & Online for the $21B office products retailer. From 2012 to 2016, he led the company’s $10B North American business, overseeing a broad retail and e-commerce transformation that included new store formats, service innovations developed organically and through acquisition, category expansion, and increased investment in marketing, merchandising, and customer experience. He was responsible for Operations, Merchandising, Marketing, and Real Estate across multiple digital channels, more than 1,800 stores, and 40,000 employees.

Earlier at Staples, Demos served as President, U.S. Stores (2002–2007) and President, U.S. Retail (2007–2012), with responsibility for nationwide store operations, merchandising, marketing, distribution, and real estate. He previously managed the company’s first New York City location and held a range of leadership roles as Staples evolved into a global omnichannel retailer with a substantial B2B services business. He began his career in the executive training program at Macy’s New York.

Throughout his career, Demos has worked closely with company boards and executive leadership teams. He was a frequent executive partner to the board at Staples and later served as a board member at Barnes & Noble and KeyCorp. He also served on the Board of Advisors at Modell’s Sporting Goods, where he consulted with senior management on strategies for revenue growth, operational improvement, and profitability.

Demos earned a Bachelor of Science in Management from New York University and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. He also served as executive sponsor of Staples’ Latino Associate Resource Group and as a board member of the Staples Foundation for Learning.