Sears Holdings names finance chief

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings announced Tuesday that Robert Schriesheim will join the company as EVP and CFO. Schriesheim, who starts with the company immediately as EVP, will assume his responsibilities as CFO effective Aug. 22.

Schriesheim, 51, most recently was CFO for Hewitt Associates, leading the company's global financial and administrative roles until its merger with Aon Corp.

Prior to joining Hewitt, Schriesheim was EVP, CFO and a director of Lawson Software, the world's third largest publicly traded enterprise resource planning software company, where he helped lead a five-year corporate transformation. During this period Rob's strategic, operational, and financial skills helped Lawson drive material improvement in gross margins and triple its operating margins, while investing in new products, quality upgrades and acquisitions to fund growth initiatives.

"We're delighted to have Rob join our team at Sears Holdings. Rob is a proven global chief financial officer and brings excellent experience at driving operating performance and delivering value in complex organizations undergoing rapid change," said Lou D'Ambrosio, CEO and president of Sears Holdings. "Rob brings a passion for performance, creating value, and developing people. His leadership and financial acumen, together with his track record of delivering results, will be important skills as we accelerate our transformation and deliver compelling value to our customers, associates, and shareholders."

Schriesheim holds a master's degree in business administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Princeton University. He is also a member of The Economic Club of Chicago and The Chicago Club. He has served on numerous public corporate boards and is currently a director of Skyworks Solutions.