Dive Brief:
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Hudson's Bay named Stephen Gold its chief technology and digital operations officer last month, according to the company announcement. His position went into effect immediately, though the retailer's current CIO, Janet Schalk, isn't set to leave until August 1.
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Gold's role will "focus on aligning the end-to-end customer experience" using data and digital transformation. Under Gold, the retailer plans to unify its digital operations and technical departments to form a Center of Excellence, streamlining business functionalities.
- Gold previously served as CVS' executive vice president and CIO. He left the position in December after becoming the pharmacy's CIO in February of 2017.
Dive Insight:
Many companies, especially in retail, are harnessing tech to improve customer relations and experience. Gold has experience creating ways to "deliver unique omnichannel experiences" that improve a customer's interactions with a brand, according to the announcement.
However, Gold's appointment comes on the heels of data breaches which hit many stores under Hudson's Bay's umbrella. Though the breaches occurred last year, they were disclosed in April. Security researchers said the breaches were among the "biggest and most damaging to ever hit retail companies."
Hudson's Bay is already dealing with a decline in in-store sales and the closure of 27 stores. Hudson's Bay's CEO Helena Faulker is looking to Gold for his experience in customer-centric technology initiatives. He will report directly to her, according to the company.
During his time at CVS, Gold implemented his ACT framework: accountability, collaboration and tenacity. The framework serves as a collaborative mission for an organization's IT. However, he was intentionally selective of new technologies, making sure to only chose the ones that could translate across all of CVS' operations.
