Corporate Governance
Contact the Board
Contact the Board of Directors
If you want to contact our Board of Directors, or any of its members or committees, you may do so by sending a letter addressed to them:
c/o Lizbeth S. O'Shaughnessy, Secretary
Steelcase Inc.
P.O. Box 1967
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49501-1967
All letters will be opened by the corporate secretary. Any contents that are not advertising, promotions of a product or service or patently offensive material will be forwarded promptly to the addressee. In the case of communications to the Board or any committee or group of directors, the corporate secretary will make sufficient copies of the contents and send them to each director who is a member of the committee or group to which the envelope is addressed.
Reporting Complaints or Concerns
If you have a complaint or concern about Steelcase's accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters, or would like to make a good faith report concerning violations of the Steelcase Inc. Code of Business Conduct or the Steelcase Inc. Code of Ethics for Chief Executive and Senior Financial Officers, you may:
- call 1-800-437-6167 in the United States, Canada or Mexico,
- call collect 704-943-1134 from outside the United States or
- go to compliance-helpline.com to make an online report.
Additional contact numbers for countries outside the United States can also be found in the Steelcase Inc. Code of Business Conduct.
You can choose to remain anonymous when using any of the above means of contact. If you choose to file a report, you will be given a tracking number so you can check back on the status of the report confidentially.
Sara E. Armbruster
Open image tooltip Sara E. Armbruster
President and Chief Executive Officer, Steelcase Inc.
Sara Armbruster is the president and CEO of Steelcase Inc., the company that helps people do their best work by creating places that work better.
Since assuming the CEO role and joining the company’s Board of Directors in 2021, Sara has led transformational change throughout the organization. Under her leadership, Steelcase has strengthened its position as the industry leader in supporting workplace transformation across all the places work happens, including offices of all sizes, educational institutions, healthcare organizations, and homes. In addition to diversifying the company’s portfolio, Sara has led meaningful increases in profitability.
In her previous roles as executive vice president and vice president of strategy, research, and digital transformation, Sara spearheaded technology initiatives and fostered innovation in global design research, business model design, and growth strategy. She also was responsible for the company’s Applied Research + Consulting practice, Steelcase Health, and Steelcase Education as well as acquisitions and partnerships that delivered profitable growth.
Before joining Steelcase in 2007, Sara led strategy development at Banta Corporation, a publicly traded global printing and supply chain services company, based in Menasha, Wis. Her career began at McKinsey & Company, where she gained broad global experience in multiple industries.
Beyond her leadership at Steelcase, Sara is known for creating a positive impact for people and the planet through her business and community engagement. She currently serves on the board of directors of Winnebago Industries and is a member of Business Roundtable. She also serves on the board of directors of several nonprofit organizations, including Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose, the Steelcase Foundation, and Catalyst, a global nonprofit dedicated to building workplaces that work for women.
Sara holds a bachelor’s degree in Slavic languages and literatures from Yale University in New Haven, Conn.; a master’s degree in international relations from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C.; and an MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H.
Timothy C. E. Brown
Open image tooltip Timothy C. E. Brown
Chair, IDEO
Tim Brown is a member of the board of directors of Steelcase Inc., a global leader in the office furniture industry. Steelcase delivers a better work experience to its customers by providing products, services and insights into the ways people work. Its portfolio includes architecture, furniture and technology products.
Tim Brown is currently the chair of IDEO, a global innovation and design firm. In this role, Tim asks what’s next for design while championing its interdisciplinary, multi-faceted nature. Tim also serves as vice chair of kyu, IDEO’s parent company. He was previously co-chair of IDEO (January-September 2023), chair and co-chief executive officer (2022-2023), executive chair (2019-2022) and CEO and president (2000-2019) of IDEO, focused on bringing human-centered design to public and private sector organizations.
Tim serves on the board of trustees of IDEO.org and the Advisory Council of Acumen, a non-profit global venture focused on improving the lives of the poor. Tim’s writing has been featured in Harvard Business Review, The Economist and other prominent publications. His book on how design thinking transforms organizations, Change by Design, was released by HarperBusiness in September 2009.
The recipient of numerous design awards, Tim has exhibited work at the Axis Gallery in Tokyo, the Design Museum in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He holds an M.A. from the Royal College of Art and a B.A. from Northumbria University. He has received Honorary Doctorates from the Royal Collect of Art (UK), Keio University (Japan), Claremont McKenna Graduate University (USA) and Art Center College of Art and Design (USA). In 2021, Tim was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List.
Committees
Chair, Nominating + Corporate Governance Committee
Member, Corporate Business Development Committee
Member, Executive Committee
Connie K. Duckworth
Open image tooltip Connie K. Duckworth
Retired; formerly Partner and Managing Director, Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Connie K. Duckworth is a member of the board of directors of Steelcase Inc., a global leader in the office furniture industry. Steelcase delivers a better work experience to its customers by providing products, services and insights into the ways people work. Its comprehensive portfolio includes architecture, furniture and technology products designed to support social, economic and environmental sustainability.
Connie is a retired partner and managing director of Goldman, Sachs & Co., where she was named the first woman sales and trading partner in the firm’s history during her 20-year career. She is a director of MP Materials.
Connie is currently a director of Endeavor Health and the past chairman of the board of NorthShore University HealthSystem in Evanston, Illinois, the first woman to have held this position. She is a past chair of the Committee of 200, the organization of leading women entrepreneurs and corporate business executives in the U.S. She is also the co-author of The Old Girls Network: Insider Advice for Women Building Businesses in a Man’s World (Basic Books 2003), a primer on how to start a business.
The recipient of numerous awards, Connie was named a 2008 Skoll Foundation honoree for Social Entrepreneurship. She holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from the University of Texas.
Committees
Member, Corporate Business Development Committee
Member, Nominating + Corporate Governance Committee
Sanjay Gupta
Open image tooltip Sanjay Gupta
Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer at Novant Health
Sanjay Gupta is a member of the board of directors of Steelcase Inc., a global leader in the office furniture industry. Steelcase helps customers create places that help people work better by designing, manufacturing and partnering with other leading organizations to provide architecture, furniture and technology solutions.
Sanjay is currently the Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer at Novant Health where he drives their value proposition across the health system. He oversees marketing and communications as well as the system’s internal consulting function. Prior to that role he served as Executive Vice President, Head of Client Solutions and Outcomes at TIAA, a Fortune 100 financial services organization, where he led corporate strategy and development, enterprise analytics, financial wellness, advice and innovation across all of TIAA’s institutional and individual products and solutions. He previously served as Vice President, Marketing, Innovation and Corporate Relations at Allstate, where he was responsible for managing all marketing activities across the Allstate and Esurance brands.
He has also worked in various capacities across the marketing, e-commerce and digital functions at Ally Financial, Bank of America, SciQuest and FedEx. Sanjay also has extensive experience launching and building brands, converting customers to digital and mobile platforms and creating highly personalized products that deliver results and growth.
A graduate of the University of Mumbai, he received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin and has held board positions at ICF International, Mobile Marketing Association and the Association of National Advertisers.
Todd P. Kelsey
Open image tooltip Todd P. Kelsey
President and Chief Executive Officer of Plexus Corp.
Todd P. Kelsey is a member of the board of directors of Steelcase Inc., a global leader in the office furniture industry. Steelcase delivers a better work experience to its customers by providing products, services and insights into the ways people work. Its portfolio includes architecture, furniture and technology products.
Todd is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Plexus Corp., the leader in providing electronics design, manufacturing and aftermarket services to companies in mid-to-low volume, higher complexity markets. In his role, Todd is focused on creating long-term shareholder value and ensuring Plexus’ strategy is broadly understood and its core values embraced.
Todd serves on the board of directors of Plexus and, prior to his current role, held positions in engineering, strategy, finance, customer service and operations. He served for seven years on the Dean’s Advisory Industrial Advisory Board for the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Todd holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, as well as a M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh.
Committees
Chair, Audit Committee
Member, Compensation Committee
Member, Executive Committee
Jennifer C. Niemann
Open image tooltip Jennifer C. Niemann
President and Chief Executive Officer, Forward Space, LLC
Jenny Niemann is a member of the board of directors of Steelcase Inc., a global leader in the office furniture industry. Steelcase delivers a better work experience to its customers by providing products, services and insights into the ways people work. Its portfolio includes architecture, furniture and technology products.
Jenny is president, chief executive officer and owner of Forward Space, an independent Steelcase dealership in Chicago. In her role, she is responsible for the strategic leadership of the company and for providing guidance and leadership in support of client needs.
Prior to her role with Forward Space, Jenny was chief executive officer of Red Thread, a Steelcase dealership in New England. In 2011, she led the acquisition and integration of three dealerships that merged to form Red Thread.
Before establishing Red Thread, Jenny spent 20 years with Steelcase in various leadership positions. She was responsible for the continued development of the Steelcase dealer network in North America and also held roles in marketing, product development, information technology and operations. Jenny began her career with Accenture (Andersen Consulting), where she advised businesses on the design, test and implementation of information systems.
Jenny serves as Chairman of the Board and Trustee of the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC). She holds an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan – Stephen M. Ross School of Business and B.A. degrees in mathematics and economics from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.
Committees
Chair, Corporate Business Development Committee
Member, Executive Committee
Robert C. Pew III
Open image tooltip Robert C. Pew III
Chair of the Board of Directors, Steelcase Inc.; Private Investor
Robert C. Pew III is a member of the board of directors of Steelcase Inc., a global leader in the office furniture industry. Steelcase delivers a better work experience to its customers by providing products, services and insights into the ways people work. Its portfolio includes architecture, furniture and technology products.
Now a private investor, Rob served as president of Steelcase North America from May 1990 to March 1994. In that capacity, he was responsible for all sales, marketing and manufacturing operations involving Steelcase-brand products.
Rob originally joined Steelcase in Grand Rapids in 1974 as a product standards engineer in the Chair Plant. In 1975, he was named a wage and salary administrator in the Human Resources department. In 1976, Rob became an employee relations manager, responsible for the Desk Plant and, later, the File Plant. In 1977, he was promoted to superintendent of the File Plant.
Rob was named plant manager of the Steelcase facility in Fletcher, North Carolina, in 1979. He held that post until 1984, when he left the company to become one of its independent dealers, eventually owning and operating Steelcase dealerships in Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina, and in Jacksonville, Florida.
In 1988, Rob returned to Steelcase in Grand Rapids as vice president and assistant to the president. He was named executive vice president, Steelcase operations, in 1989.
Rob’s activities in the not-for-profit world have included a term as president of Junior Achievement of Western North Carolina and various roles within United Way, including chair of the Community Planning and Allocation Process of the Buncombe County United Way and overall campaign chair of United Way of Western Michigan. Rob has also served as chair of the Asheville Downtown Commission and campaign chair for the Pack Place Arts and Science Center. Rob is a former trustee of Grand Valley State University and was formerly board chair of the Institute of Design in Chicago.
Rob earned a bachelor of science degree in social studies from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan.
Committees
Cathy D. Ross
Open image tooltip Cathy D. Ross
Retired; formerly Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Federal Express Corporation
Cathy D. Ross is a member of the board of directors of Steelcase Inc., a global leader in the office furniture industry. Steelcase delivers a better work experience to its customers by providing products, services and insights into the ways people work. Its comprehensive portfolio includes architecture, furniture and technology products designed to support social, economic and environmental sustainability.
Cathy retired from FedEx in July 2014, where she was executive vice president and chief financial officer for FedEx Express, the largest FedEx operating company and the world’s largest express transportation company. Her responsibilities included all aspects of the company’s worldwide financial affairs, including financial planning, reporting and analysis, revenue and disbursement accounting and control functions, as well as long-range strategic planning. Cathy also oversaw the FedEx Express business systems and sourcing functions. She managed almost 3,000 professionals throughout the U.S., Asia, Europe, Canada and Latin America.
Cathy joined FedEx in 1984 as a senior financial analyst. She is a five-time recipient of the FedEx Express Five Star Award, the company’s top employee honor. In 2005, 2007 and 2009 she also received the FedEx Express CEO Five Star Award in further recognition of her numerous outstanding contributions to the business. During her tenure at FedEx Express, she was involved in the global operations of all major portions of the business including mergers and acquisitions, large capitol deployment, labor contract negotiations and long-range aircraft type decisions.
Prior to joining FedEx, Cathy worked for Kimberly-Clark Corporation as a cost analyst and cost analysis supervisor (1982-1984) and for Buckeye Cellulose Corporation (a subsidiary of Proctor & Gamble) as an accounting supervisor and staff accountant (1978-1982).
Cathy serves on the board of directors of Ball Corporation, the National Civil Rights Museum and on the board of trustees of Christian Brothers University. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Delta Sigma Pi Professional Fraternity.
Cathy holds an accounting degree from Christian Brothers University and an M.B.A. from the University of Memphis. She was honored with the Distinguished Alumna Award from the University of Memphis and the Women of Excellence Award from the Memphis Tri-State Defender. In addition, she was named among the “25 Rising Women of Finance” by JPMorgan Chase/Treasury & Risk Management, the “50 Most Powerful Black Women in Business” by Black Enterprise, and “CFO Thought Leader” by Booz Allen.
Committees
Member, Audit Committee
Member, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Catherine C. B. Schmelter
Open image tooltip Catherine C. B. Schmelter
Executive Vice President and President, Consumer Self-Care Americas (CSCA) and Global Portfolio Optimization of Perrigo Company plc.
Catherine “Triona” C. B. Schmelter is a member of the board of directors of Steelcase Inc., a global leader in the office furniture industry. Steelcase delivers a better work experience to its customers by providing products, services and insights into the ways people work. Its portfolio includes architecture, furniture and technology products.
Triona has more than two decades of deep experience in general management, branding, sales and marketing, innovation, business strategy and finance. She currently serves as Executive Vice President and President, Consumer Self-Care Americas (CSCA) and Global Portfolio Optimization of Perrigo Company plc. Prior to that role she served as Senior Vice President, Chief Transformation Officer of TreeHouse Foods, Inc., a manufacturer of packaged food and beverages, where she also held several Division President roles. She has also held a variety of brand management and leadership roles at Kraft Foods and General Mills, and she began her career with Arthur Anderson, serving clients in healthcare, manufacturing and retail industries.
Triona earned an MBA from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BBA in Art History and Accounting from The University of Notre Dame.
COMMITTEES
Chair, Compensation Committee
Member, Executive Committee
Member, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Linda K. Williams
Open image tooltip Linda K. Williams
Vice President, Global Head of FP&A Finance, Google Cloud, a division of Google LLC.
Linda Williams is a member of the Board of Directors of Steelcase Inc., a global leader in the office furniture industry. Steelcase delivers a better work experience to its customers by providing products, services and insights into the ways people work. Its comprehensive portfolio includes architecture, furniture and technology products designed to support social, economic and environmental sustainability.
Linda is currently the Vice President, Global Head of FP&A Finance, Google Cloud, a division of Google LLC. She leads a team of financial experts who oversee all financial matters for the product, go-to-market (GTM), and marketing teams. This includes analyzing unit economics for deals and pricing, data center operations and expansion, revenue management, and providing financial planning, analysis, and investment evaluations to support long-term strategic planning for the Cloud business.
Linda previously held a broad range of leadership roles across Hewlett Packard and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. These roles included Senior Vice President, HPE Products and Services Chief Financial Officer where she managed the financial performance of the Compute, Storage, HPC/MCS and Pointnext Services division with annual revenue of $19B+ and corresponding margin, operating expenses and profit; Chief Audit Executive and Vice President of Enterprise Risk Management and in this role she developed an Enterprise Risk Management program to identify and mitigate potential strategic, financial and cybersecurity risks for the company; and Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, HPE Pointnext Services Division, offering executive governance for all business finance, while leading the execution of a major transformation plan for the business. Earlier in her career, she served as Vice President and CFO of the HP Americas Enterprise Group and Vice President of Finance for HP Storage Division.
Linda’s career reflects a demonstrated track record in leading successful, large-scale transformation initiatives, optimizing financial management processes in complex, global business environments and executing both domestic and global M&A transactions. Passionate about diversity and inclusion, Linda led a Women’s Development Program at HPE and served as the executive sponsor for its HPE International Women’s Day Event.
Linda received a BBA in Accounting from Texas A&M University.