(BUSINESS WIRE) -- --Co-CFO Mike Newman Retires from Organization<br /><br />--Interim Co-CFO Deb O'Connor Returns to Position as<br /><br />--Senior Vice President, Finance and Co-Chief Accounting Officer<br /><br />Office Depot, Inc. ODP -1.12%  , a leading global provider of office products, services, and solutions formed by the merger of Office Depot and OfficeMax, today announced the appointment of Stephen Hare as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. Hare reports to Roland Smith, Chairman and CEO of Office Depot, Inc., and replaces Co-CFO Mike Newman, who has retired from the Company, and interim Co-CFO Deb O'Connor, who has returned to her position as Senior Vice President, Finance and Co-Chief Accounting Officer.<br /><br />Hare comes to Office Depot, Inc. from The Wendy's Company where he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2011 until September 2013. Hare was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Wendy's/Arby's Group, Inc. from 2008 through 2011. Previously, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Arby's Restaurant Group, Inc.<br /><br />"Having worked closely with Steve on transforming businesses in the past, I know he brings to Office Depot, Inc. the knowledge and discipline needed to realize the synergies inherent in the merger of Office Depot and OfficeMax," Smith said. "I am confident that Steve's financial skills and wealth of operations and management experience will enable us to be a more competitive and efficient provider of office products and services, and set us on a path for sustainable growth.<br /><br />"I also would like to thank Mike for his many contributions to Office Depot over the past five years," Smith added. "In that time, he has delivered strong financial and operational management and successfully guided the Company during a period of significant economic challenges. Further, his leadership has been instrumental in the merger and integration of Office Depot and OfficeMax. The Board and I wish him the best in the future.<br /><br />"Additionally, I would like to thank Deb for stepping up these last four months and assuming the role of interim CFO," Smith said. "She has done an outstanding job of leading the OfficeMax financial organization and supporting the integration."<br /><br />Smith plans to have the Office Depot, Inc. Executive Committee in place by the end of this month.<br /><br />Additional Background on Stephen Hare<br /><br />Prior to his senior management positions with The Wendy's Company, Wendy's/Arby's Group, Inc., and Arby's Restaurant Group, Inc., Hare was Executive Vice President of Cadmus Communications Corp. and the President of Publisher Services Group, a division of Cadmus, from 2003 to 2006. He served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Cadmus from 2001 to 2003.<br /><br />From 1996 to 2001, Hare was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of AMF Bowling Worldwide, where he also was a member of the Board of Directors. From 1990 to 1996, he was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of James River Corp.<br /><br />Hare, 60 years old, serves on the Board of Directors of Hanger, Inc. HGR -0.79%  . He graduated with a BBA from the University of Notre Dame and with an MBA from the Harvard Business School.