Valvoline Inc. announced that Sam Mitchell is retiring as Chief Executive Officer, effective September 30, 2023. The Board has appointed Lori A. Flees, the Company?s President, Retail Services, to succeed Mr. Mitchell as CEO, effective October 1, 2023. Ms. Flees, age 52, has served as the Company?s President, Retail Services, since April 2022.

In her role as President, Ms. Flees oversees Valvoline?s fast growing retail services business, which operates over 1,800 Company-owned and franchised service center locations serving consumer and fleet customers. Ms. Flees started her career in the automotive industry 35 years ago with General Motor?s GMC Truck division. After 17 years at Bain & Company, a global strategy consulting firm, Ms. Flees spent nearly a decade at Walmart where she led all aspects of Walmart?s Health & Wellness business across more than 4,800 locations.

She joined Walmart to lead corporate strategy and development, and later moved into leadership roles that included the incubation of new retail capabilities via the deployment of emerging technologies, strategic partnership development with companies such as Google and Microsoft, and the leadership of the pharmacy and optical business of Sam?s Club. Flees has served as President of Valvoline Retail Services for the past year. In this role, she has led the Company?s operations, driving top and bottom-line growth to new record levels.

She will continue in her role as President, in addition to serving as the Company?s CEO.