Melissa Barra, Sleep Number® setting 30, serves as the Executive Vice President, Chief Sales and Services Officer for Sleep Number. In this role, she leads the company’s customer-focused strategy, and the organization’s sales, real estate, field services, customer relationship, and enterprise communications teams. Melissa joined Sleep Number in February 2013 as Vice President, Consumer Insights and Strategy and was promoted to SVP, Chief Strategy and Customer Relationship Officer in January 2015. She assumed her current responsibilities in June 2019.
Melissa is a bold visionary, helping advance the Sleep Number’s purpose by shifting the way people think about – and experience – health and wellness through higher quality sleep. With a dedication to improving lives, creating superior experiences, and delivering exceptional results, she inspires the company to imagine the possible, accelerate Sleep Number’s strategy, and execute with excellence – delivering meaningful value for all stakeholders. Melissa has jointly led the company to deliver five-year compound annual growth rates of 9% in sales, 15% in EBITDA, 38% in earnings per share, and 683% in Total Shareholder Return through 2020.
Prior to joining Sleep Number, Melissa held a variety of senior leadership roles in Finance, Strategy and Corporate Development for Best Buy Co., Inc. (2005-2012). Previously, she also held corporate finance and strategy leadership roles domestically and internationally at Grupo Futuro, Citibank, and GE Capital. She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Melissa serves on the Board of Trustees of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, where she is the Chair of the Technology and Operations Committee and a member of the Corporate Investments and Development Committee. In the community, Melissa is dedicated to advancing diversity and inclusion, having served on the Board of Directors of the YWCA Minneapolis.