J.C. Penney names chief technology officer

Plano, Texas -- J. C. Penney Co. has tapped another former Apple executive to join its executive ranks. J. C. Penney announced that Kristen E. Blum has been named executive VP and chief technology officer, effective Jan. 23. She reports to COO Mike Kramer, and has responsibility for the company's jcp.com business and information technology systems.



Blum, 46, was most recently senior VP, chief information officer, Enterprise Transformation at PepsiCo. From 2006 to 2010, she was senior VP, chief information officer at Abercrombie & Fitch. Prior to that, Blum spent four years at Apple as director of supply chain solutions and international retail, overseeing technology supporting global operations and the development of systems supporting Apple retail.