Dive Brief:
- Stitch Fix appointed Sree Sreedhararaj as its chief product and technology officer on Monday. He will tackle a broad remit, overseeing the company’s technology, product, data science, security and IT teams, and will report to CEO Matt Baer.
- Sreedhararaj brings years of retail technology experience to the role, including stints at Walmart Labs and Sephora. Most recently, he served as CTO at personalized beauty subscription service Ipsy.
- Sreedhararaj succeeds Tony Bacos, the company’s first leader to oversee its product and technology teams. In March, Bacos informed the company of his plan to retire from the position effective Aug. 1.
Dive Insight:
Stitch Fix has tapped an industry veteran to take on the chief technology and product officer position.
The appointment comes less than a week after the company reported Q3 earnings, which included quarter-on-quarter growth in active clients for the first time since 2021. The company, which launched a transformation strategy in 2024 to focus on long-term growth and AI initiatives, also reported higher retention rates and increased sales per active customer. Still, active users fell nearly 2% year over year to 2.3 million.
As it continues its turnaround strategy under Baer, who joined the company in 2023 from Macy’s, Sreedhararaj will play a vital role.
"Sree brings deep technical expertise and a relentless focus on the customer," Baer said in a statement. “As AI unlocks new possibilities, we believe the future of retail lies in using this technology to create more human connections. Sree has built technology platforms that make personalization at scale possible. That perspective will be critical as we shape the next era of retail."
Sreedhararaj’s Stitch Fix appointment reinforces a trend for technology leaders: Hybrid roles are becoming commonplace as companies seek to break down silos and tie technology directly to revenue.
In some cases, companies are expanding the CIO title to include digital, data and transformation, such as Delta’s appointment of Amala Duggirala as its chief digital and technology officer in January.
But in other cases, CIOs are absorbing product as an area of responsibility, a shift that is gaining momentum, according to Martha Heller, CEO at Heller. IT veteran Jim Fowler took on a dual technology-product role when he joined Lumen Technologies in January. More recently, UiPath CTO Raghu Malpani expanded his role to include product in March.
“Stitch Fix was early to bring technology and product together because our business has always depended on the two working in close partnership,” the company said in an email to sister publication CIO Dive. “Uniting these teams under one leader creates stronger alignment and ensures our product and technology strategies are both focused on the same goal: delivering the most client-centric, personalized shopping experience.”
