Costco adds digital knowledge to its board

Costco is adding a bit of digital expertise to its ranks with its latest new board member.



The retailer announced that Maggie Wilderotter, the executive chairman of Frontier Communications, has joined the board of directors. Previously, she was the president and CEO of Frontier for 10-plus years. Wilderotter formerly served in a number of executive roles at technology and telecommunications companies, including Microsoft, Wink Communications, AT&T, and McCaw Cellular. She is also a member of the boards of directors of Xerox and Juno Therapeutics, among other organizations.



"We are very pleased to welcome Maggie as a new member of our board,” said Jeff Brotman, chairman of the board. “She brings substantial experience as a seasoned executive in telecommunications and technology and as a board member of many prominent companies."



Costco has been making significant technology investments to transform its information processes and systems, which are key to managing the business.



Costco currently operates 687 warehouses, including 481 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 89 in Canada, 36 in Mexico, 27 in the United Kingdom, 23 in Japan, 12 in Korea, 11 in Taiwan, seven in Australia and one in Spain.



The company plans to open up to an additional 11 new warehouses before the end of the calendar year. Costco also operates electronic commerce websites in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and Mexico.