Heather Reisman, founder of Indigo, is retiring

Heather Reisman, founder of Indigo Books and Music, announced that she will retire as nearly half of the bookseller's board of directors resigns.

“The time has come for me to step down from an active role at Indigo,” Reisman said in a press release Wednesday.

Heather Reisman, a 2022 inductee, poses on the red carpet for Canada's 2022 Walk of Fame, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, in Toronto. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana MartinHe plans to retire on August 22.

He founded the Toronto bookstore 25 years ago in his first location in Burlington, Ont. Since then, Indigo has become Canada's largest bookseller after merging with the divisions in 2001.

The store's “Heather's Picks” section, which marks the books she's read and loved with a sticker of approval, has become a cornerstone of the company. In addition to books, the company has expanded into beauty and wellness products and home decor in recent years.

“Deciding when to move on is one of the hardest decisions a Founder has to make, but I know this is the right moment for me,” he said.

His departure comes alongside the resignations of directors Frank Clegg, Howard Grosfield, Anne Marie O'Donovan and Dr Chika Stacey Oriuwa. This translates to four of the company's 10 directors.

Oriuwa said in a news release on Wednesday that he was resigning “due to a loss of confidence in the leadership of the board and due to mistreatment.” The doctor was appointed to the board in 2020 as an “educated voice to inform diversity and inclusion efforts,” Reisman said at the time.

“I have the utmost confidence and respect for Indigo CEO Peter Ruiz, his management team and his executive strategy,” Oriuwa told CTV News Toronto on Wednesday. Ruiz took over as Reisman's CEO in 2022.

Indigo was in a state of turmoil earlier this year, when a cyber attack rocked the company in February and forced it to temporarily shut down its website and payment systems.

Indigo did not immediately respond to questions about why the remaining directors were leaving.

Reisman's replacement has not been announced.