Dive Brief:

• HBC, which owns Hudson's Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue, has promoted Scott Ross to chief technology officer, the company announced in an emailed press release. He will step into the role as his successor, Stephen Gold, retires from HBC on Aug. 1.  

• As CTO, Scott will lead the digital and information technology strategies for HBC as well as its portfolio companies, the release said. Ross has served as HBC's senior vice president of omnichannel since joining the company in 2019 — a role where he oversaw the company's digital transformation.

• Before joining HBC, Ross spent seven years at Lowe's, where he eventually became senior vice president of omnichannel technology. He also held technology roles at L.L. Bean and served in the U.S. Army as a Captain in the 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York, per the announcement. 

Dive Insight:

HBC and its wholly-owned portfolio companies are undergoing a broad digital transformation.

As a result of Ross' efforts as senior vice president of omnichannel, the company successfully migrated its website and mobile applications for Saks Fifth Avenue, Hudson's Bay and Saks Off 5th, and three international contact centers, the company said. He also oversaw app creation for Saks Fifth Avenue, Hudson's Bay and Saks Off 5th.

In addition to his prior retail experience, Ross currently serves on the City of Toronto's Digital Transformation Committee, per the announcement. Ross' predecessor will remain at HBC to facilitate the transition, the company noted. 

"With Scott's leadership, deep expertise and knowledge of our business, he will be instrumental in leading our technology strategy," Richard Baker, HBC's governor, executive chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "Since joining HBC, he has played a pivotal role in our portfolio companies' digital transformation, and I am confident that he is the right person to lead this important function and team into the future."

Hudson's Bay is also undergoing a transition to appeal to younger, digitally savvy consumers. In June, the retailer announced that it would carry Forever 21 full-line collections at select locations. In March, the retailer said its new third-party marketplace will feature more than 500 sellers by the end of the year. 

As part of HBC's digital transformation across the company, Saks Off 5th and Saks Fifth Avenue are pursuing separate e-commerce companies, courtesy of private equity investments. In March, HBC sold a minority stake to Insight Partners, which devoted $500 million toward spinning off the e-commerce company of Saks Fifth Avenue into a new business, "Saks." Just months later, with an additional $200 million from investors, Hudson's Bay moved to spin off Saks Off 5th's digital business into a stand-alone entity and put its physical stores under a new name: "O5."