Mese: Luglio 2018

Bally has made a number of executive changes, naming Eva Quirrenbach as chief marketing officer and Silvia Onofri as chief executive of the EMEA region. Quirrenbach was previously vice president of global brand marketing at Tory Burch, while Onofri has been promoted from vice president of global wholesale, which she will continue holding.

Fiat Chrysler named on Saturday its Jeep division boss Mike Manley to take over immediately from Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne, who is seriously ill after suffering major complications following surgery. The carmaker said British-born Manley, who also takes responsibility for the North America region, will push ahead with the mid-term strategy outlined last month by Marchionne, who had been due to step down next April. Marchionne, 66, was credited with rescuing Fiat and Chrysler from bankruptcy after taking the Italian carmaker’s wheel in 2004. On Saturday he was also replaced as chairman and CEO of Ferrari and chairman of tractor maker CNH Industrial – both spun off from FCA in recent years.

“FCA communicates with profound sorrow that during the course of this week unexpected complications arose while Mr Marchionne was recovering from surgery and that these have worsened significantly in recent hours,” the statement said.

FCA disclosed earlier this month that Marchionne, a renowned dealmaker and workaholic, was recovering from a shoulder operation. But his condition deteriorated sharply in recent days when he suffered massive complications that were not divulged. Ferrari named FCA Chairman and Agnelli family scion John Elkann as new chairman, while board member Louis Camilleri becomes chief executive. CNH appointed Suzanna Heywood to replace Marchionne as chairman.

All three companies remain controlled by the Agnellis. Marchionne had previously said he planned to stay on as Ferrari Chairman and CEO until 2021.

Source: auto.ndtv.com

Walmart has named Sean Slovenski as senior VP of health and wellness for Walmart U.S., effective Aug. 1, according to a company memo from Walmart U.S. CEO Greg Foran.

In his new role, Slovenski will work to implement the company’s plan to put more focus on the health and wellness business in the near term, with the goal of making health care more affordable and accessible. Most recently, Slovenski was president of Healthways’ population health division.

“Sean is a proven leader and entrepreneur with an established track record in defining and building businesses within the healthcare industry,” Foran said. “I am delighted to bring such an experienced executive on board to lead a critical area of our business.”

In addition to his time at Healthways, Slovenski previously was CEO of Care Innovations, an Intel-GE joint venture, as well as vice president of innovation at Humana.

Marybeth Hays, who currently oversees the retailer’s health and wellness business, is engaged in the transition and will be sharing more details of her next position at a later date, Foran said. Latriece Watkins will continue leading the company’s consumables portfolio, reporting to chief merchandising officer Steve Bratspies.

Source: Chain Store Age 

The nation’s retail chief executives are bullish on growth.

That’s one of the findings of KPMG LLP’s 2018 U.S. CEO Outlook report, in which 83% of CEOs in the consumer and retail industry say they are very confident about the growth prospects of their companies during the next three years. Mergers and acquisitions were cited as the top (38%) growth driver, followed by third-party strategic alliances (23%). M&A activity is expected to transform retailers’ business models faster than organic growth, reduce costs, increase market share and on-board new technologies, according to KPMG.

“Although U.S. CEOs are bullish on the business prospects of their companies, the percentage increase in growth over the next three years may still be moderate,” said Mark Larson, national leader of KPMG’s consumer & retail practice. “Retailers that acquire the right technologies, either through M&A or third-party alliances, and successfully personalize the shopping experience for their customers, may see the highest percentage increases in growth.”

In other findings, nearly all of the executives (98%) see technological disruption as an opportunity rather than a threat. Most (92%) also said they are keeping up with innovation.

When it comes to emerging technologies, 94% of the CEOs expect to see a significant ROI from digital transformation and AI within the next five years. The majority of the executives (88%) said that technological investments made to personalize the customer experience have already delivered the growth benefits expected, but there is more that can be done.

CEOs are also staying mindful of the potential risks that digital technologies pose. The executives named cyber-security and emerging/disruptive technology as the greatest threats to their organizations’ growth (25% each), followed by operational risk (21%). Ninety-percent of the respondents said that protecting customer data is one of the most important responsibilities for their organizations in order to grow.

“Risks such as cyber-security, managing customer data and adoption of new technology can significantly impact retailers’ top-line and long-term growth,” said Duleep Rodrigo, risk consulting industry leader, consumer & retail, KPMG. “Since the various risks in retail are heavily interconnected, rapidly evolving, and impact each retailer in a unique way, companies need to be creative in taking a balanced approach in managing risk and maintaining consumer trust, particularly as it relates to technology.”

Source: www.chainstoreage.com