H&M Group tapped Diego Teijeiro Ruiz as its next CIO, effective May 25. He’ll report to the company’s CEO Daniel Ervér, per a Wednesday announcement.
The new CIO will replace Ellen Svanström, who in February announced her plans to step down from the chief digital information officer role to pursue other opportunities. She has stayed on at the company to ensure a smooth transition with a successor.
Teijeiro Ruiz comes to H&M after nearly 20 years at competitor Inditex — the owner of Zara and other international retailers — where he most recently served as global chief data and analytics officer, per his LinkedIn.
“His experience will play an important part as we continue to elevate the shopping experience for customers across channels and strengthen our technology foundation throughout the company,” H&M Group said in its press release.
H&M Group in February also named a new chief supply chain officer, David von Heijne, who started at the end of January. The executive has worked at the mass retailer since 2011, and the appointment marked a new position for the company.
The company’s first quarter sales decreased 1% year over year in local currencies and about 10% in Swedish krona. H&M Group said in its earnings release that optimizing its store portfolio is a continued focus, with about 4% fewer stores at the end Q1 compared to the year prior.
