Jim Keane, President and CEO of Steelcase Inc., Announces Retirement

Sara Armbruster to Become President and Chief Executive Officer, Effective October 4, 2021

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., April 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Steelcase Inc. (NYSE: SCS) President and CEO Jim Keane, announces he will be retiring on January 7, 2022, after 25 years with the company, including more than seven years as CEO. Keane will remain President and CEO until October 4, 2021, at which time he will become vice chair and will serve in that role until his retirement from the company. 

Sara Armbruster, who has been appointed Executive Vice President and a member of the Steelcase Board of Directors, will take over as President and CEO on October 4, 2021.  

Keane, 61, joined the company in 1997. During this time, he held positions including chief operating officer, chief financial officer, president, and chief executive officer. In his time with the company, he led global teams responsible for corporate strategy, IT, research, product development, design, engineering, manufacturing, sales, and distribution. Appointed to Steelcase’s Board of Directors in 2013, Keane also serves on the boards of Rockwell Automation, IDEO, the Economics Club of Grand Rapids, the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association (BIFMA) and is on the board of trustees of Grand Valley University Foundation. He is both an at-large member and board member of the Business Roundtable – an association of chief executive officers from America’s leading companies.

Keane transformed the company into a globally integrated enterprise, curating a strong organizational culture of rapid and decentralized decision-making. He established the Steelcase Learning + Innovation Center in Munich – a global hub where employees, dealers and guests come together to learn and innovate the future of work. His ability to foster creativity and drive innovation has enabled Steelcase to lead the transformation of the office landscape – from places designed solely around efficiency, to dynamic places that support the changing nature of work.