Dive Brief:
- Foot Locker appointed Adrian Butler to serve as CTO, according to President and CEO Mary Dillon during a May 19 earnings call, for the period ending April 29. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
- Butler's appointment marks the footwear retailer’s most recent tech leadership change since Dillon took the reins in September. Under the former Ulta Beauty CEO's leadership, the company has also appointed Kim Waldmann as global chief customer officer and CFO Mike Baughn, a former Kohl's executive, who will start next week.
- In 2020, the company appointed Himanshu Parikh as SVP and CIO. Parikh was tasked by then CEO Richard Johnson with streamlining internal processes and assessing systems and tools across the organization. Parikh departed the company in October, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Dive Insight:
Butler brings to Foot Locker more than two decades of technology leadership experience, including stints at Target and Dine Brands Global, parent company to Applebee's and IHOP.
In a LinkedIn post Saturday, Butler confirmed his appointment as technology chief at the footwear retailer, which embarked on a long-term growth strategy under the moniker "Lace Up."
The strategy, a response to flagging revenues, will lead the company to shutter nearly 400 stores by 2026, Retail Dive reported. Dillon had previously referred to 2023 as a "reset year."
"While 2023 was always going to be a reset year for us, we now expect a sharper decline in both sales and earnings this year, due to steeper macro headwinds, combined with the other dynamics of our transition," said Dillon during the earnings call.
Technology investments are a key enabler of the company's broader strategy, Dillon said. The CEO cited decreased website error rates and the creation of agile delivery technology pods as two important enhancements.
