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Dive Overview:
- Ralph Lauren The company this week added Christopher Conrad to its executive team as its chief digital and technology officer, replacing Janet Sharrock, who is retiring in September.
- Conrad previously spent seven years as SVP and CIO at Levi Strauss & Co. A retail industry veteran, Conrad has also held technology leadership roles at Billabong, Lululemon and American Eagle.
- “Chris brings a wealth of experience and will ensure our digital transformation continues, with a strong focus on improving the consumer experience,” said Sharrock, who joined the company in 2017. LinkedIn Post.
Dive Insights:
of A wave of executive changes at tech companies mid-year Roll forward. Retailers, gap and Macy’sis refreshing its technology leadership to drive modernization.
The industry is primarily pursuing improved customer and employee experience, optimizing operations, and improving visibility through technology upgrades. Retailers and consumer goods manufacturers are Investing in Data and AI More than any other industry January Databricks reports.
In his retirement message, Sherrock highlighted Ralph Lauren’s recent AI efforts with pride. The company has leveraged AI and ML capabilities for inventory optimization, forecasting and consumer engagement. Ralph Lauren executives said the team has also begun incorporating AI techniques into marketing. Copy editing, graphics, computer programming last year.
“We’re focusing on what we can control,” said the former Jane Nielsen, CFO and current COO, said this during the company’s third-quarter 2024 earnings call in February. Leveraging big data and AI is also part of this, Nielsen said.
In its May earnings report, Ralph Lauren said: Revenues increased slightlyBut the company expects profits to decline in the near future. Ralph Lauren is also adjusting to accommodate Nielsen’s departure as CFO in May and ultimately as COO at the end of fiscal 2025. Analysts have called her term a difficult one to replace, Fashion Dive previously reported.
