Dive Brief:
- Auto parts retailer Advance Auto Parts appointed Shweta Bhatia as EVP and CTO, the company said Monday. The executive brings nearly 20 years of retail tech experience to the company.
- Bhatia most recently served as SVP of technology at discount retailer Dollar General. She will replace Sri Donthi, who joined the company in 2018.
- After joining Dollar General in 2022, Bhatia led the company’s IT overhaul. Dollar General hired Tom Hutchins as its SVP of technology last month.
Dive Insight:
Bhatia, whose previous leadership experience includes stints at Walmart and Kohl’s, joins the auto parts retailer at a time of significant change.
In November, Advance Auto Parts embarked on a turnaround plan to boost its financial performance. The strategy includes the closure of more than 700 underperforming stores, cost cutting and supply chain optimization.
“We are charting a clear path forward and introducing a new three-year financial plan, with a focus on executing core retail fundamentals to improve the productivity of all our assets and to create shareholder value,” said Shane O’Kelly, president and chief executive officer in a November release.
In Q3 2024, the company posted $2.1 billion in net new sales, down 3% year over year.
The business is betting on Bhatia’s track record at Dollar General, where she led a multi-year IT modernization project, to help boost efficiency.
Shweta’s addition to the leadership team will help the company carry out “decisive actions which will set up Advance for future growth and value creation,” O’Kelly said in the Monday announcement.
Advance Auto Parts was among the companies hit by a wave of attacks targeting Snowflake customer environments last year. An unauthorized third-party actor gained access to personal data of more than 2.3 million Advance Auto Parts’ customers, according to a disclosure notice.
