PetMeds Names Jeff Willard CEO as PetMed Express Chases a Return to Profitability
Executive Summary. PetMed Express, Inc. (Nasdaq: PETS), which trades as PetMeds and owns PetCareRx, appointed Jeff Willard as chief executive officer and president effective 28 September 2026, according to a Form 8-K filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on 17 September 2026. Willard, 56, joins from StewMac and previously led growth at Casper Sleep. He succeeds Leslie C.G. Campbell, interim CEO since August 2025, who retires as board chair the same day.
Key Facts
- Company
- PetMed Express, Inc. (Nasdaq: PETS) — PetMeds, PetCareRx
- Country
- United States (Delray Beach, Florida)
- Industry
- Direct-to-consumer pet healthcare, online pet pharmacy
- Category
- Executive appointment and board leadership transition
- Event
- Jeff Willard named CEO and President; Justin Mennen named board chair
- Date
- Announced 2026-09-17; effective 2026-09-28
- Location
- Delray Beach, Florida, United States
- Source
- SEC Form 8-K
What Happened
The board approved the appointment on 27 August 2026 and the company signed an executive employment agreement with Willard on 28 August, with an initial three-year term that renews annually. The SEC filing lists his recent roles: CEO and a director of Stewart-MacDonald (StewMac) from November 2024 to September 2026, chief growth and marketing officer of Casper Sleep from June 2023 through August 2024, and president of Healthy Lifestyle Brands from July 2019 through May 2023. He holds an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.
Campbell — a board member since 2018, chair since January 2024 and interim CEO since August 2025 — retires as chair and leaves the board on 28 September. Justin Mennen, lead independent director since August 2025 and chief information and technology officer of Shake Shack, becomes chair. Campbell remains for 60 days as a full-time strategic advisor.
Background
PetMeds was founded in 1996 and became the best-known US mail-order pet pharmacy, built on a simple proposition: the same prescription and non-prescription medications a vet dispenses, cheaper and delivered. Then the category it invented got crowded. Chewy moved into pharmacy and vet care, Amazon and big-box retailers took the over-the-counter end, and veterinary groups tightened their own online stores. PetMeds bought PetCareRx in April 2023 to widen its catalogue, but the structural pressure has not gone away.
The appointment of a consumer-brand operator rather than a veterinarian or a pharmaceutical executive is telling. Willard’s CV — StewMac, Casper, Healthy Lifestyle Brands, plus earlier roles at Simmons Bedding, Harman, Coleman, Helen of Troy and Lexmark — is a catalogue of direct-to-consumer turnarounds and brand rebuilds.
Industry Context
Online pharmacy sits in the middle of a channel fight. When an owner types vet near me into a search bar, the decision that follows — book a clinic appointment, or reorder a flea and tick product online — is now genuinely contested, and the same is true for the urgent cases where emergency vet near me is the query and triage advice, not product, is what gets searched first. PetMeds competes for the reorder, and its economics depend on repeat purchase rather than on acquisition.
That is why the profit language in the appointment matters more than the title. Willard said his priority is “sharpening our execution and establishing a direct, clear path back to sustainable profitability and growth.” Campbell said the board wanted “a proven track record of scaling consumer brands and driving operational discipline.” Neither mentioned new categories.
Market & Business Impact
For manufacturers, PetMeds is a channel with real reach: a licensed online pharmacy in all 50 states selling prescription drugs, compounded medications, OTC supplements and nutrition products for dogs, cats and horses. A turnaround effort at that scale affects how parasiticides, therapeutic diets and supplements are merchandised and priced against clinic dispensing.
For veterinary practices, it is a competitive signal rather than a neutral one. Practice pharmacy revenue has been eroded by online alternatives for a decade; a better-capitalised, better-run PetMeds accelerates that. The offsetting factor is that Willard’s background is in consumer brand building, not price-led disruption, which suggests the fight will be waged on service and retention rather than purely on discounting.
Companies & Brands Involved
PetMed Express runs two consumer-facing brands, PetMeds and PetCareRx, the latter acquired in April 2023. PetCareRx added a broader catalogue beyond medication. Willard arrives from StewMac, a private e-commerce tool supplier, and earlier from Casper, the sleep-products brand — both businesses where the job was converting a known name into a profitable one. Justin Mennen brings a technology operator’s perspective to the chair role from Shake Shack. GPI’s company index lists the wider field of online pet pharmacies and pet health retailers.
Data & Evidence
All appointment details come from PetMed Express’s Form 8-K filed 17 September 2026: board approval 2026-08-27; employment agreement 2026-08-28; effective date 2026-09-28; Willard aged 56; three-year initial term with automatic one-year renewals; no family relationships, no related-party transactions and no arrangements or understandings behind the appointment. Company profile details — founded 1996, licensed in all 50 states, PetCareRx acquisition in April 2023 — are from the company’s own filings and the RTTNews report of the same day. GPI did not include share-price data because the figures reported by newswires were inconsistent.
What This Means for the Pet Industry
GPI’s read: this is a turnaround hire, not an expansion hire. The language in the filing is about execution, operational discipline and profitability — not about new geographies or categories. That tells you where PetMeds believes its problem sits: conversion, retention and cost to serve, rather than assortment.
The wider signal is that the online pet pharmacy model is no longer a growth story on its own; it has to be run as a disciplined consumer operation. Chewy, Amazon and the veterinary groups have made distribution table stakes, so the differentiator now is whether a direct-to-consumer pet health business can hold a customer for years. Willard’s Casper and StewMac record is relevant exactly there. For manufacturers, the practical implication is to expect harder negotiations on margin support and exclusivity, because a margin-focused PetMeds will ask suppliers to fund its retention economics rather than its growth.
Key Takeaways
- PetMed Express appointed Jeff Willard as CEO and President, effective 28 September 2026, per a Form 8-K filed 17 September 2026.
- Willard joins from StewMac and previously served as chief growth and marketing officer of Casper Sleep and president of Healthy Lifestyle Brands.
- Leslie C.G. Campbell, interim CEO since August 2025, retires as board chair and leaves the board on 28 September, staying 60 days as strategic advisor.
- Justin Mennen, lead independent director and Shake Shack CIO, becomes board chair.
- Willard’s stated priority is a direct, clear path back to sustainable profitability and growth for PetMeds and PetCareRx.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is PetMed Express’s new CEO?
Jeffrey Allen Willard, appointed CEO, President and director effective 28 September 2026. He was most recently CEO of Stewart-MacDonald (StewMac) and earlier chief growth and marketing officer of Casper Sleep.
When does the leadership change take effect?
28 September 2026. The board approved it on 27 August and the employment agreement was signed on 28 August with an initial three-year term.
What happens to Leslie Campbell?
She retires as chair and steps down from the board on 28 September 2026, remaining as a full-time strategic advisor for 60 days to support continuity.
What does PetMeds sell?
Prescription and non-prescription pet medications, compounded medications, over-the-counter supplements and nutrition products for dogs, cats and horses, dispensed as an online pharmacy licensed in all 50 US states.
Why does this matter to veterinary practices?
PetMeds is a major alternative to in-clinic dispensing. A stronger, more disciplined PetMeds puts further pressure on practice pharmacy revenue.
Sources
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — PetMed Express Form 8-K, 2026-09-17
- RTTNews — PetMeds CEO Transition: Jeff Willard To Succeed Leslie Campbell, 2026-09-17
