// Rafaele Petruzzo appointed to newly created role of group chief digital officer at Arcadia Group
// He will work closely with Karl De Bruijn, who recently joined chief information officer
// Simon Pakenham-Walsh joins Sir Philip Green’s retail empire as new digital and retail technology director
Arcadia Group has announced the appointment of three new senior hires to its digital team as the Sir Philip Green-owned retail empire pushes on with its transformation strategy.
Rafaele Petruzzo has been appointed the newly-created role of group chief digital officer, which will see him will work closely with Karl De Bruijn, who recently joined Arcadia as chief information officer.
Petruzzo also joins De Bruijn on the Arcadia board, with both reporting in to group chief executive Ian Grabiner.
Meanwhile, Simon Pakenham-Walsh has joined Arcadia as the digital and retail technology director, reporting directly to De Bruijn.
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Petruzzo was previously chief transformation officer at digital payments provider Nets Group, having held senior strategic positions including chief digital and technology officer at Homeserve, group payments strategy director at Tesco and chief digital officer at Barclays.
De Bruijn has more than 20 years’ experience in digital transformations, most recently at Primark where he was IT transformation director.
Before that, he was global IT director of Cath Kidston and group IT director of Specsavers.
Finally, Pakenham-Walsh brings more than 20 years’ experience to his role and joins from Sainsbury’s where he was technology director in the supermarket’s digital and technology division and most recently the chief information officer for food.
He has previously held senior digital positions at both Sky and Royal Mail.
The appointment of Petruzzo, De Bruijn and Pakenham-Walsh comes as Arcadia pushes on with its major transformation strategy, which features a CVA process that will see the closure of 48 stores in the UK and Ireland, plus 11 Topshop stores in the US.
“I’m delighted to welcome Rafa, Karl and Simon to the Group as we continue to drive forward our digital ambitions and boost our sales from online channels; a core pillar of our growth strategy,” Grabiner said.
“They are all extremely experienced in their fields and I am confident they will add significant value to the group.
“Through a combination of improved customer insight and data, alongside enhanced site functionality and more efficient marketing spend, we are confident that Arcadia can create an even stronger bond between our brands and our customers, delivering uniquely personal shopping experiences.”
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