PLANO, Texas–J. C. Penney has named Kristen E. Blum executive vice president and chief technology officer, effective Jan. 23.
Blum, who reports to chief operating officer Mike Kramer, is responsible for the jcp.com business and information technology systems.
“The transformation underway at J.C. Penney relies heavily on having the best-performing, most effective technology to support our critical business functions and enhance our shopping experience,” Kramer said in a statement. “We are fortunate to have a solid technological infrastructure in place, and there is no one more talented or qualified in our industry to further develop and expand our capabilities than Kristen Blum. Having worked with her for many years, I have seen firsthand Kristen’s extraordinary ability to match strategic business objectives with technological solutions. We are thrilled to have her on board.”
Blum has more than 25 years of experience at consumer goods and retail companies. She was most recently senior vice president, chief information officer, Enterprise Transformation at PepsiCo., and also served as chief information officer at Abercrombie & Fitch and as director of supply chain solutions and international retail for Apple, Inc., J.C. Penney said.
“J.C. Penney is the most exciting place to be in retail today,” Blum said. “With the company’s strong IT platform already in place, we will now turn up our imagination and wholeheartedly embrace the digital revolution to create an entirely new experience for our customers while simplifying processes for our associates. I am thrilled to join the J.C. Penney team to make this a reality.”