Corie Barry

Corie Barry
Born	Corie Sue Barry
Nationality	American
Occupation	Corporate executive
Title	Chief Executive Officer
Employer	Best Buy Co., Inc.
Known for	CEO of Best Buy Co., Inc.

Corie Barry is an American corporate executive who serves as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY), one of the largest consumer electronics retailers in the United States. Barry assumed the role of CEO in June 2019, becoming one of the relatively few women to lead a Fortune 500 company. Her tenure at Best Buy has been defined by a focus on customer experience, digital transformation, and navigating the consumer electronics retail industry through periods of significant economic and technological change, including the rise of artificial intelligence and shifting consumer spending patterns. Prior to becoming CEO, Barry held a series of finance and strategy positions within Best Buy over more than two decades, rising through the organization from an entry-level financial analyst role. Under her leadership, Best Buy has continued to adapt its business model, balancing brick-and-mortar retail operations with expanded digital and services capabilities. Barry has been a prominent voice in discussions about the future of retail, the impact of tariffs on consumer pricing, and the widening income divide among American consumers.

Career

Rise at Best Buy

Corie Barry joined Best Buy in 1999 as a financial analyst and spent more than two decades rising through the company's ranks. Over the course of her career at Best Buy, she held positions of increasing responsibility in finance, strategy, and operations. Barry served in a number of senior leadership roles, including as the company's chief financial officer (CFO), before being named CEO. Her deep institutional knowledge of Best Buy's operations and her background in corporate finance positioned her as a key figure in the company's strategic direction during a period when traditional electronics retailers faced intense competition from online commerce platforms.

Barry was appointed CEO of Best Buy in June 2019. Her appointment made her one of a small number of women leading a major publicly traded American corporation. As CEO, she has overseen the company's continued efforts to differentiate itself in the competitive consumer electronics market through investments in customer experience, technology services, and omnichannel retail capabilities.

Customer Experience Strategy

A central theme of Barry's leadership at Best Buy has been an emphasis on customer-centric strategy. In remarks at the Fortune Most Powerful Women summit in October 2025, Barry described the company's approach as being "manically" focused on the customer, stating that keeping the customer at the center of decision-making was key to building a resilient company capable of adapting to changing technology and consumer behavior. This customer-first philosophy has informed many of the company's operational decisions, from in-store service models to digital platform enhancements.

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026, Barry spoke about Best Buy's strategy of investing in the customer experience, particularly as artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies reshape the retail landscape. She described the retailer's focus as "maniacal" in its attention to how customers interact with technology products and services, both in-store and online. Barry addressed concerns about AI's impact on the job market, noting that one of Best Buy's largest investments involved leveraging technology to enhance, rather than replace, the role of employees in serving customers.

The Consumer Technology Association highlighted Barry's participation at CES 2026 as part of an expanded retail programming track, positioning Best Buy's CEO as a central figure in discussions about how retailers are discovering and adopting innovations that shape consumer behavior.

Navigating Economic Challenges

Barry's tenure as CEO has coincided with a period of significant macroeconomic uncertainty, including the effects of tariffs on imported consumer electronics and changing consumer spending patterns. In a September 2025 interview with CNBC, Barry discussed Best Buy's most recent quarterly results and addressed the company's expectations regarding the potential impact of tariffs on pricing and demand for consumer electronics.

A recurring concern raised by Barry in public forums has been the growing divide in consumer spending power between affluent and lower-income shoppers. At the Fortune Most Powerful Women summit in October 2025, Barry stated that the widening gap in spending power between wealthy and poor consumers was a long-term threat to the economy and something that "keeps me up at night." Barry told the audience that a growing reliance on wealthy shoppers posed risks not only for individual retailers but for the broader economy, highlighting the consumer income divide as a matter of significant concern for Best Buy's business planning.

Financial Performance Under Barry's Leadership

Best Buy has continued to report quarterly financial results during Barry's tenure as CEO. In the second quarter of fiscal year 2026 (ending August 2, 2025), Best Buy released its earnings results, providing an update on the company's financial performance and operational metrics. The company subsequently reported its third quarter fiscal year 2026 results for the 13-week period ending November 1, 2025.

Barry has been a regular presence in earnings calls and investor communications, discussing the company's strategy and performance. Her leadership during periods of fluctuating consumer demand, supply chain disruptions, and the evolving competitive landscape of electronics retail has been a defining aspect of her time as CEO.

Technology and Innovation

Under Barry's leadership, Best Buy has placed increasing emphasis on technology and innovation, both in terms of the products it sells and the way it operates. Barry has spoken publicly about the role of artificial intelligence in transforming retail, both as a tool for improving the customer experience and as a category of products that Best Buy sells. At CES 2026, she addressed questions about how AI would impact the retail workforce, noting that Best Buy viewed AI as a means to augment the capabilities of its employees rather than to reduce headcount.

Barry has also engaged with the broader technology industry, participating in major industry events such as CES, where she has represented Best Buy's perspective on emerging consumer technology trends. Her participation at CES 2026 was part of an expanded retail programming initiative organized by the Consumer Technology Association, which brought together retail leaders to discuss innovations shaping consumer behavior and commerce.

Tariff and Trade Policy

Tariffs on imported consumer electronics have been a significant concern for Best Buy during Barry's leadership. Many of the products sold by Best Buy are manufactured overseas, making the company's pricing and margins sensitive to changes in trade policy. In her September 2025 CNBC interview, Barry discussed the company's approach to managing the potential impact of tariffs on product pricing and consumer demand. At the Fortune Most Powerful Women summit, Barry also addressed tariff-related concerns in the context of the broader economic challenges facing consumers, linking trade policy to the growing income divide and its implications for retail spending.

Recognition

Corie Barry has been featured at a number of prominent business and industry events during her tenure as Best Buy's CEO. She has been a speaker at the Fortune Most Powerful Women summit, where she has discussed topics ranging from consumer spending trends to the impact of tariffs on retail. Her inclusion in the summit's programming placed her among a cohort of senior women executives in American business.

Barry has also been a featured speaker at CES, one of the world's largest consumer electronics trade shows, where she represented Best Buy in discussions about the future of retail and consumer technology. Her media appearances have included interviews on CNBC, where she has discussed Best Buy's quarterly financial results and strategic outlook.

As one of a limited number of women serving as CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Barry's leadership of Best Buy has drawn attention in business media and at conferences focused on women in executive leadership. Her participation at the Fortune Most Powerful Women summit reflects her standing within this community of senior business leaders.

Legacy

Corie Barry's leadership of Best Buy has been characterized by a consistent emphasis on customer experience, digital transformation, and corporate adaptability in the face of economic and technological change. As CEO during a period of rapid evolution in the consumer electronics industry — marked by the rise of artificial intelligence, shifts in consumer spending behavior, and uncertainty related to tariffs and trade policy — Barry has positioned Best Buy as a retailer that seeks to combine in-store service with digital capabilities.

Barry's public commentary on the growing consumer income divide has drawn attention beyond the retail sector. Her remarks at the Fortune Most Powerful Women summit about the risks posed by an increasing reliance on affluent consumers highlighted a concern that resonates across the broader economy. Her willingness to address macroeconomic issues in public forums has contributed to her profile as a CEO engaged with economic and social questions beyond the immediate scope of her company's operations.

Her career trajectory — from entry-level financial analyst to CEO over the course of two decades at a single company — represents a path of internal advancement that is frequently cited in discussions about talent development and leadership succession in large corporations. Barry's tenure as CEO continues as Best Buy navigates an evolving retail environment shaped by new technologies, shifting consumer expectations, and ongoing economic uncertainty.