Joann Stores taps Ulta Beauty exec for key role
Joann Stores has filled out its executive bench with a critical technology hire.
The fabrics and crafts retailer named Varadheesh Chennakrishnan as CIO, charged with helping Joann innovate to create the ultimate craft experience, wherever customers are.
Chennakrishnan joins Joann from Ulta Beauty, where he spent more than eight years in roles of increasing responsibility in the IT organization, most recently as senior VP, applications & enterprise architecture. Prior to Ulta, he honed his expertise as a systems and software expert at several companies and as an independent consultant.
Chennakrishnan’s deep experience with IT systems in retail comes at a critical time for Joann. The company debuted a new concept store last summer that features cutting-edge technology, community spaces, and interactive kiosks. The retailer has begun rolling out some of the key elements in the new format to its more than 865-store fleet, and will continue testing and piloting new technologies across the nation.
“We’re doing incredibly exciting things at Joann from integrating customer-facing technologies into our stores, to investing in new operations systems, to expanding the way we interact with customers on their connected devices,” said Wade Miquelon, president and CEO of Joann. “We’ve truly entered a new era of craft retail, and our new CIO will be a critical player in helping us get it right.”
The fabrics and crafts retailer named Varadheesh Chennakrishnan as CIO, charged with helping Joann innovate to create the ultimate craft experience, wherever customers are.
Chennakrishnan joins Joann from Ulta Beauty, where he spent more than eight years in roles of increasing responsibility in the IT organization, most recently as senior VP, applications & enterprise architecture. Prior to Ulta, he honed his expertise as a systems and software expert at several companies and as an independent consultant.
Chennakrishnan’s deep experience with IT systems in retail comes at a critical time for Joann. The company debuted a new concept store last summer that features cutting-edge technology, community spaces, and interactive kiosks. The retailer has begun rolling out some of the key elements in the new format to its more than 865-store fleet, and will continue testing and piloting new technologies across the nation.
“We’re doing incredibly exciting things at Joann from integrating customer-facing technologies into our stores, to investing in new operations systems, to expanding the way we interact with customers on their connected devices,” said Wade Miquelon, president and CEO of Joann. “We’ve truly entered a new era of craft retail, and our new CIO will be a critical player in helping us get it right.”