Steve Riggio, brother of B&N founder and chairman Len Riggio, is giving up the post of chief executive officer but will remain vice chairman and stay "actively involved with the company."
William Lynch, who joined B&N as president of B&N.com a year ago, is becoming CEO. At the same time, B&N veteran Mitchell Klipper, who has been chief operating officer of the company, is becoming CEO of B&N's retail group, which includes B&N's retail business and B&N's recently acquired college bookstores. Effectively, the company will have an e-CEO and a retail CEO.
In a statement, Len Riggio said that Lynch "came to us as a skillful leader in e-commerce who, in a short period of time, has done a superb job in quickly establishing Barnes & Noble as a major player in e-commerce and digital content. Given the dynamic nature of the book industry, William is uniquely qualified to lead the company's transition to multi-channel distribution and drive the continuing expansion of our e-commerce platform, e-books and other digital content and products."
Lynch said, "Our commitment is to leverage our Barnes & Noble stores and leading e-commerce channels such as bn.com, to provide consumers convenient access to the physical and digital products they want virtually anytime, anywhere."
Before joining B&N, Lynch was executive v-p of marketing and general manager of HSN.com; CEO of gifts.com; v-p and general manager, e-commerce, for Palm; and held senior positions at Seagram Universal and Guinness.
Riggio called Klipper "one of the most talented operators in the retail industry. He has been largely responsible for the nationwide expansion of our superstore concept, and we are thrilled he will be taking on additional responsibility for our important college business."