New CIOs at Best Buy, Borders Likely To Mean Few Changes
Written by Evan SchumanMay 27th, 2009
Two of the most powerful retail chains—at least the most powerful beginning with "B"—each introduced new CIOs Tuesday (May 26), with Borders naming Scott Laverty (a veteran consultative executive, hailing from IBM, Deloitte Consulting, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young) and Best Buy crowning Neville Roberts, a promotion from within.
Although it's always difficult to accurately project what new IT leaders will do with their new gigs, there are indications that neither exec is likely to create major ripples, at least not in the nearterm. At Best Buy, the 41-year-old Roberts technically replaces Bob Willett, who has held the CIO title for years and has been a senior IT leader at Best Buy since April 2004. But Willett has been holding dual titles, serving as both the full chain's CIO and CEO of Best Buy International. Willett will continue as CEO of Best Buy International and, most critically, Roberts will continue to report directly to Willett. When a new executive is reporting into the executive being replaced, that's rarely followed by a radical shift in strategy.
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