Anesa Chaibi

Barney & Barney G.R.O.W. logo

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What is your background? I grew up in Weirton, West Virginia, and received a full scholarship to West Virginia University, where I received a bachelor of science in chemical engineering and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Where did you begin your career? In 1989 I was on the GE Chemical and Materials Leadership Program. I held roles in increasing responsibility in manufacturing, operations, production, marketing, and corporate initiatives. I joined Home Depot and then HD Supply in 2005. I also worked for CSC Index as a strategic management consultant.

What was your inspiration? A man I had worked with during my 16 years at GE called me in 2005 and told me about an opportunity at Home Depot. The rest, as they say, is history!

How have you helped others? I began making transformational changes within the company when I arrived in 2005. I created Women’s Network here, which is now a nationwide program. We have had a program that included me and three VIPs on how to juggle life. We have speakers from charitable organizations, leadership speakers—it is open to all employees, not just women. It is all about building confidence, which prepares for advancement and growth.

What is the female/male ratio of your staff? My executive staff is 50/50. We have around 4,600 employees, 1,000 of whom are in San Diego, and the remainder are nationwide and some in Canada. There are 14,000 employed corporate-wide by HD Supply, which is owned by three private equities.

How much time do you spend traveling? About 50 percent minimum; I have a three-year-old son and a wonderfully supportive husband. I juggle life to do my best—balance that is not always a balance. However, I am present with whatever I am doing. If it is work, it is work; if it is with my child or husband, I am always present.

When you joined the company, it was a subsidiary of Home Depot. What has changed since that time in 2005? We had a record-setting year in 2005 at $840 million and will finish this year exceeding $2 billion. This year we acquired Peachtree Business Products, which has been a complementary add-on to our multifamily vertical.

What has been your biggest challenge? Keeping everyone calm while we were integrating and divesting, because employees were concerned about their future.

HD Supply is a bit under the radar; however, you have an incredible record of giving back and paying it forward. What is your focus? We are under the radar because we are business-to-business. I support the universities where I went to school and serve on the board of Helping Hands Fund, an internal organization to support needs of our employees. We have donated $2.3 million of product to various organizations. We just raised $445,000 for City of Hope with our vendors at our annual golf tournament. I always work with people who have reached out to me to try to help them identify what they like, what they want to do, but also what they don’t like. Ultimately people have to be happy.

What would people like to know about you? I work hard, play hard, but I really want people to know that I am a very caring individual. I love adventure travel with my husband, and yes, I am driven. I am always pushing and striving to do better. I think I am a teacher to others because I lend my experience and give people the opportunity to learn and grow.

What advice were you given? My father told me that I could do anything through hard work, dedication, and focus. I never thought I would end up running a $2 billion company.

What is in the future? Continue to grow the business and to prepare the company to go public.

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