Executives on the Move: Bed Bath & Beyond plans comeback

It’s time to digitize. 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, companies around the world have been forced to adapt to a wave of e-commerce and a new stay-at-home economy. That has put technology at the top of the list of CXO priorities and thrust the role of chief information officer into the spotlight.

Boardroom Insiders recently compiled a comprehensive list of the CIOs at Fortune 500 companies, which also offers in-depth insight into the state of digital transformation in the C-suite. (You can download the list for free here).  

There have been some interesting CIO moves in recent weeks, as well as a few other notable executive moves. Here are some of the most intriguing changes we’ve spotted. 

Bed Bath & Beyond leans into digital 

Home furnishings have been popular this year with consumers spending more time at home, and for retailer Bed Bath & Beyond, this year has yielded a remarkable turnaround. The company’s digital sales rose 89% in Q2, and it posted its first comparable sales increase since FY 2016. The same stock that traded at less than $4 in April has since grown fivefold. 

The future looks to be even more digital-friendly. For starters, the company is backing down from its heavy coupon strategy and investing in e-commerce tools. It has also deepened a partnership with Google Cloud to further its online experience. 

On Sept. 28, Bed Bath & Beyond announced the hire of Scott Lindblom as chief information officer. Lindblom, previously the EVP and CIO at Michaels, is expected to lead and help implement the company’s enterprise technology roadmap. Lindblom has been in the retail sector for more than two decades, with experience at Best Buy and Ross Stores. 

Papa John’s targets new CFO 

2020 has been a great year for the pizza business. Takeout and delivery options have proven popular with consumers stuck at home, and restaurant chain Papa John’s successfully rode that sales wave, with stock prices more than tripling its March lows.

However, the company hasn’t been without its detractors. Since its September high, the stock has fallen 21%. Meanwhile, namesake, founder and former CEO John Schnatter emerged to offer up his bearish outlook on the company, in which he cited declining product quality and lower store numbers as long-term concerns. 

To drive growth going forward, Papa John’s named Ann Gugino its new chief financial officer. Gugino brings two decades of financial management and strategy experience to the role. She most recently served as SVP of financial planning and analysis at Target. Prior to that, she spent 18 years at medical supplier Patterson Companies, including a stint as EVP and CFO. 

Wendy’s taps Domino’s Pizza CIO 

Wendy’s has found some inspiration in the pizza industry, as well. On Oct. 19, The Wendy Company announced it had named Kevin Vasconi to the position of chief information officer. 

Vasconi most recently served as EVP and CIO at Domino’s Pizza. In his time at Domino’s, Vasconi played a key role in helping the pizza business break through in the digital space. Today, you can order a pizza through a text, a tweet, your car and even Alexa. Domino’s also recently unveiled a carside delivery service in which customers order via an app and employees then bring their orders to their cars. In the first quarter of 2019, more than 65% of Domino’s sales were coming through digital channels. 

At Wendy’s, Vasconi will be responsible for consumer-facing, enterprise architecture, information security and other efforts. Wendy’s recently launched its own loyalty program in July, and the company is working to boost its breakfast growth. As of Q2, its digital sales accounted for 5% of systemwide sales.

More executives on the move...

• Salvatore Abbate is now CEO, Veritiv Corporation.
• Naveen Agarwal is now Chief Market Development Officer, Prudential Financial, Inc.
• Chau Banks is now SVP, Chief Information and Enterprise Analytics Officer, Clorox Company.
• Dean Banks is now President and CEO, Tyson Foods Inc.
• Mark Barrenechea is now CEO and CTO, Open Text Corporation.
• Venkat Bhamidipati is now EVP and CFO, McAfee LLC.
• Robert Blue is now President and CEO, Dominion Energy, Inc.
• Steven Blum is now Chief Revenue Officer and SVP, Worldwide Field Operations, Autodesk, Inc.
• Laszlo Bock is now Co-Founder and CEO, Humu, Inc.
• David Bradbury is now Chief Security Officer, Okta, Inc.
• Ann-Marie Campbell is now SVP, US Stores and International Operations, Home Depot, Inc.
• Teh-han Chow is now CEO, Greater China, Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited.
• Brian Cohen is now CFO, LogsHero Ltd.
• Jon Crump is now VP, Business Transformation and Systems Modernization, Lockheed Martin Corporation.
• Joy Corso is now CMO, Vonage Holdings Corporation.
• Edward Dandridge is now SVP & Chief Communications Officer, Boeing Company.
• Rishi Dave is now CMO, MongoDB, Inc.
• Casey Decker is now CIO, Hy-Vee Food Stores, Inc.
• Edward Decker is now President and COO, Home Depot, Inc.
• Susan Diltz is now VP, IT and Global Infrastructure CIO, Arrow Electronics, Inc.
• Paula Dominick is now Chief Compliance Officer, Wells Fargo & Company.
• Alan Douville is now Global CIO and Chief Information Security Officer, Stryker Corporation.
• Jodi Eddy is now SVP, Chief Information and Digital Officer, Boston Scientific Corporation.
• Noelle Eder is now Global CIO, Cigna Corporation.
• Jamie Engstrom is now VP, Global Information Services (GIS) Division and CIO, Caterpillar Inc.
• Michael Foster is now EVP, Chief Information and Technology Officer, SYSCO Corporation.
• Christian Garcia is now EVP and CFO, Brand Industrial Services, Inc.
• Ido Gileadi is now COO, Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (FIS).
• Michael Giresi is now Chief Digital Officer, Molex, LLC, Koch Industries Inc.
• Benjamin Gliklich is now President and CEO, Element Solutions Inc.
• Noel Goggin is now CEO and Culture Leader, AppExtremes, LLC.
• David Gordon is now Chief Technology and Data Officer, United Services Automobile Association (USAA).
• Cassandra Harris is now CFO and COO, Tupperware Brands Corporation.
• Daniel Havelka is now VP and CIO, Energy Harbor Corp.
• Gary Hayes is now Chief Solution Officer, Utegration, LLC.
• Bryan Hutson is now SVP, Information Services, J.M. Smucker Company.
• Susan Johnson is now CMO, Prudential Financial, Inc.
• Diane Jurgens is now EVP, Enterprise Technology and CIO, Walt Disney Company.
• Sitarama Kocherlakota is now EVP and Global CIO, S&P Global Inc.
• Julie Lagacy is now VP, Enterprise Strategy Division, Caterpillar Inc.
• Diane Leopold is now COO, Dominion Energy, Inc.
• Chang Liu is now CEO and President, Cathay General Bancorp.
• Patrick Lord is now EVP, Customer Support Business Group (CSBG) and Global Operations, Lam Research Corporation.
• Alvin Lustgarten is now SVP, Technology and Information Services, Hearst Television Inc., Hearst Communications, Inc.
• Tammy Mallaise is now SVP, People and Culture, Zachry Group.
• Kristi Melani is now VP, Marketing, Poly, Inc.
• Christopher Nardecchia is now CIO and Interim SVP, Software & Control, Rockwell Automation Inc.
• Adam Noble is now SVP & Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, American Water Works Company, Inc.
• Matthew Parciak is now Deputy Chief Information Security Officer, Unum Group.
•  Umesh Patel is now CIO, CBRE Group, Inc.
• Brandon Peay is now EVP and General Manager, Skills Business, Pluralsight, Inc.
• Karen Peetz is now Chief Administrative Officer, Citigroup Inc.
• Steven Phillpott is now SVP and CIO, Illumina, Inc.
• Edward Portolese is now CIO, Howmet Aerospace.
• Eric Reynolds is now EVP and COO, Clorox Company.
• W. Troy Rudd is now CEO, AECOM.
• Scott Sanders is now SVP, Advisory Flexibility, LPL Financial Holdings Inc.
• Gerard Smyth is now EVP and CIO, Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
• Timothy Stonesifer is now SVP and CFO, Alcon, Inc.
• Wesley Story is now Enterprise Strategist, Amazon Web Services, Inc.
• Gary Thursby is now Acting CIO, Westpac Banking Corporation.
• John Turner is now VP, Information Technology Systems and CIO, 3M Company.
• Ajay Waghray is now SVP and CIO, PG&E Corporation. 
• Christopher Wantlin is now EVP and Chief Digital Officer, Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc.
• Jonathan Weiss is now Senior EVP and CEO, Corporate & Investment Banking, Wells Fargo & Company.
• Jason Wells is now EVP and CFO, CenterPoint Energy.
• Katherine Wetmur is now Head, Technology and Operations Risk, Morgan Stanley.
• Ather Williams III is now Head, Strategy, Digital and Innovation, Wells Fargo & Company.

Each executive featured here has an in-depth profile available in the Boardroom Insiders platform. Not a customer? Click here to learn more.