Paula Price Board’s Member, Western Digital

Western Digital Corp. announced that Paula A. Price has rejoined its board of directors and has been appointed to its audit committee.

She previously served on the company’s board of directors from July 2014 to February 2019. With more than 30 years of financial and operational experience at some of the world’s most prominent retail brands, she most recently was EVP and CFO at Macy’s, Inc. and currently remains an advisor to the retailer.

“Paula is a veteran financial leader with deep knowledge of the data-driven business models that are transforming the way the retail industry operates,” said Matthew E. Massengill, chairman. “Retail is one of Western Digital’s core businesses and Paula’s expertise will provide an important strategic perspective as we drive growth in this area. I’m delighted to welcome Paula back to our team and look forward to working with her again as a member of our board.”

“I am honored to serve once again with such a dedicated, dynamic and well-informed board,” said Price. “I can’t think of another time in my career when the ability to instantly understand how consumer behavior evolves was a more imperative success factor. The impact of Covid-19 has accelerated the very reason companies must leverage their data in new ways to help deliver differentiated value. I believe Western Digital’s technology is foundational in a data-driven world and I look forward to working with the team as we help companies in every industry optimize the value of their data.”

In addition to her most recent role at Macy’s, she has held several financial and operational leadership positions. A visiting executive for Harvard Business School since July 2018, she was a senior lecturer in the accounting and management unit from July 2014 to July 2018. Prior to that, she served as EVP and CFO at Ahold USA, a retailer that operates more than 700 supermarkets and an online grocery delivery service, where she was responsible for finance and accounting, strategic planning, real estate and information technology. She also served as the SVP, controller and chief accounting officer at CVS Caremark and as SVP and CFO for the institutional trust services division of JPMorgan Chase. Earlier in her career, she held several other senior management positions in the US and UK in the financial services and consumer products industries at Prudential Financial, Diageo and Kraft Foods. She also serves on the board of directors of Accenture plc.

She is a certified public accountant and earned her master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago and her bachelor’s of science degree from DePaul University.

With this appointment, Western Digital’s board is comprised of 8 directors, 7 of whom are external and independent and 4 of whom are women.