Bed Bath & Beyond Mourns Gustavo Arnal’s Death

Gustavo Arnal, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Bed Bath & Beyond, fell to his death from a New York skyscraper Sept. 2, which the company confirmed Sept. 4 with a press release:

The entire Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. organization is profoundly saddened by this shocking loss.

“I wish to extend our sincerest condolences to Gustavo’s family. Gustavo will be remembered by all he worked with for his leadership, talent and stewardship of our Company. I am proud to have been his colleague, and he will be truly missed by all of us at Bed Bath & Beyond and everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him,” said Harriet Edelman, independent chair of the Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. Board of Directors. “Our focus is on supporting his family and his team and our thoughts are with them during this sad and difficult time. Please join us in respecting the family’s privacy.”

Arnal joined Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. in May 2020 following a distinguished global career in finance at Avon, Walgreens Boots Alliance, and Procter & Gamble. At Bed Bath & Beyond Inc., Arnal was instrumental in guiding the organization throughout the coronavirus pandemic, transforming the Company’s financial foundation and building a strong and talented team. He was also an esteemed colleague in the financial community.

Though Gustavo Arnal’s LinkedIn page was taken down, tributes flowed in from colleagues and executives in the housewares industry.

“Although I never met Gustavo Arnal I have been shaken all day since hearing the news of his passing,” write Steve Greenspon, founder and CEO of Honey Can Do International. “My heart goes out to his loved ones.

“My company has been a longtime partner with Bed Bath and Beyond, so I follow their news closely and know many of their past of present executives. It has been publicly reported that he took his own life. By all accounts, he was a compassionate and personable individual.”

Greenspon included a message for those with suicidal thoughts to call or text NAMI at 988 or go to  https://988lifeline.org.

“I worked in Gustavo’s close team for a couple of years while at P&G in Cincinnati,” wrote Eduardo Mercado, senior finance manager for US Advertising Yield and Pricing. “Incredibly sad news, as he was a figure that left a profound mark in me professionally. Makes you ponder the true value of work/life balance. Condolences to his family.”

Corporate wellness consultant Dr. Daryl Appleton noted, as did many others, that September is National Suicide Prevention Month.

“I am once again taken with the ongoing importance of discussing the dangers of severe stress in the workplace,” Appleton posted.

‘In a world of ‘quiet quits,’ workplace dissatisfaction and ‘the great resignation,’ it is absolutely more important than ever to reimagine workplace wellness. The line has shifted from wellbeing the sole responsibility of the individual and has bleed into the responsibilities of the organization.
+ Operationally define workplace boundaries, culture and wellness baselines and infuse these definitions into job descriptions and work practices.”

Appleton recommends:

• Providing c-suite specific workshops on evaluating best practices for work based on individual preferences and help identify ways for executives to work smarter and not harder.
• Updating training for managers on how to actually manage employees utilizing skills in conflict management, healthy communication and effective leadership.
• Getting rid of (dumb) wellness programs that are outdated and ineffective. Save reinvest it into something better.
• Strengthening and updating a network of resources in-house and externally for employees to utilize for the mental/ physical health personal as well as professional development.