Sears Canada makes COO position permanent

Sears Canada is again calling on Becky Penrice to lead an important aspect of its nearly 300 store operation.



Penrice was named executive VP and COO after serving in that role in an interim capacity for little over a two months. Penrice has worn several hats at Sears Canada since joining the company on Dec. 1, 2013 after holding supply chain and human resources roles role at Hudson’s Bay Company.



Initially hired as senior VP of human resources at Sears Canada, within six months Penrice was given added responsibility for information technology while retaining HR responsibilities. On Feb. 1, Penrice was named interim COO.



"Becky has consistently and effectively provided strong leadership at Sears Canada," said Brandon G. Stranzl, executive chairman of Sears Canada. “She has driven results for many cross-functional strategies at Sears Canada, including our re-engineering initiatives in IT, store operations, loyalty and marketing operations, logistics, and general business processes across our merchandising and other operations.”



Stranzl credited Penrice with an ability to break down barriers and bring out the best in people to drive performance. He also noted that her leadership role evolved organically.



“The respect she has earned from our people will enable her to continue to lead Sears Canada in her new role as we re-engineer the business,” Stranzl said.