BARK Strengthens Leadership Team With Appointment of Two Pet Industry Leaders

BARK, Inc. (NYSE: BARK) (“BARK” or the “Company”), a leading global omnichannel dog brand with a mission to make all dogs happy, today announced the appointments of Michael Black as Chief Revenue Officer and General Manager, Consumables and Michael Parness as Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager, Play, effective immediately. Reporting to the Company’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Matt Meeker, Mr. Black and Mr. Parness will lead the Company’s expansion across its consumables and play categories, respectively.

“We are thrilled to elevate our leadership team with the addition of two proven leaders who bring a wealth of experience across the pet, e-commerce, and retail sectors,” said Matt Meeker. “Michael Black, who served as the Chief Executive Officer of premium pet brand Outward Hound brings an impressive track record of delivering omnichannel growth across the pet sector. He will orchestrate our consumables strategy in both our direct-to-consumer and retail channels. Michael Parness, who served as the Chief Marketing Officer of JustFoodForDogs and Outward Hound, has consistently demonstrated his ability to drive brand building and business growth through creative storytelling and strong customer engagement. He will oversee our growth in the play category and ensure our brand reaches as many dog households as possible. Together, we believe these additions will be instrumental in raising awareness of our mission and driving multi-channel, cross-category growth.”

Most recently, Mr. Black served as the Founder and President of Paragon International Advisors, a consulting firm focused on partnering with private equity investors in the pet industry. Prior to that, he served as the Chief Executive Officer–and previously the Chief Revenue Officer–of Outward Hound. During his tenure, he led Outward Hound through a successful digital transformation and years of significant growth. Previously, Mr. Black served as Senior Buyer, Pet Accessories at Walmart. Mr. Black has also served as Board Advisor to PetLab Co. since 2022. He holds an M.B.A. from the University of Arkansas and a Bachelor of Arts from Brigham Young University. He resides in Bentonville, AR with his wife Paola, their 4 children, and their Newfoundland named Chewie.