Bringing a consultant's eye to the corner office: Office Depot Chuck Rubin, evp, cmo

DSN Retailing Today, Sept 6, 2004 by Mike Troy

Rubin worked retail jobs in high school and college, and after receiving a degree from Brandeis University, he planned to pursue a graduate degree. But first, he decided to take a job with Federated Department Stores to hone his management skills.

"I went there with the full intention of going back to school but as time went on, I got promoted, started traveling, made more money and increasingly enjoyed the business," Rubin said.

Eleven years passed before Rubin moved on to a merchandising position at Chicago-based Sportmart. When the company was acquired, he moved to Florida where he was part of team that attempted to turn around JumboSports. When it went under, he joined Accenture and spent six years there before joining Office Depot in March.

His name may not have been that familiar prior to joining Office Depot, but it soon will be if Office Depot continues to build on the sales momentum achieved during the first half of the year.