The Pioneer Who Built Barnes & Noble is Stepping Down

After decades as one of the biggest names in the bookselling industry, Leonard Riggio, executive chairman of Barnes & Noble, has decided to take a step back. In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Riggio said he would step down as executive chairman after Barnes & Noble’s annual meeting in September. The 75-year-old, who also served as the company’s CEO until resigning in 2002, says he will still sit on Barnes & Noble’s board of directors after handing over the chairmanship to non-executive board member Paul Guenther.