In his new role of chief supply chain officer, Howell will oversee supply chain operations, distribution centres, and domestic and international logistics.

He succeeds Sherry Harriman who left to pursue other opportunities.

Howell will be starting in February 2024 and report to Sam Johnson, president of Academy Sports and Outdoors Inc.

The company shared that Howell brings nearly three decades of supply chain, distribution, and logistics experience to Academy Sports + Outdoors.

In his previous role as chief supply chain strategy officer at Sysco, Howell led global supply chain strategy and transformation initiatives, including the development of omnichannel capabilities across the supply chain, network strategies for multiple countries, and customised supply chain solutions for large customers.

Johnson said: "Rob is a proven leader with a record of driving strategic initiatives and optimising operations to achieve supply chain excellence and cost savings, which will be valuable to Academy as we execute our long-term growth initiative to leverage and scale our supply chain function to enable industry-leading growth."

Academy Sports + Outdoors is a full-line sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer in the United States, originally founded as a family business in Texas.

The company explained that it follows a localised merchandising strategy and value proposition that strongly connects with a broad range of consumers. It is focused on key categories of outdoor, apparel, footwear and sports and recreation through both leading national brands and a portfolio of private label brands.