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Tag: chief

  • DBS Chief Information Officer Retires

    DBS Chief Information Officer Retires

    DBS’ Chief Information Officer and Head Of Group Technology and Operations, is leaving the bank.  DBS has confirmed that its group head of technology and operations David Gledhill is departing effective from 1 August. He will return to the United Kingdom, according to his announcement on LinkedIn. The 57-year-old is a British citizen calls his departure a soft Glexit.

    After 29 years in Asia and 11 years at DBS, we decided it’s finally time to move on and replant our roots back in the U.K. So, after almost two years of planning, today we announced my retirement from DBS, and the Packers moved in at home,» Gledhill said in a LinkedIn post.

    Gledhill said he will stay connected with DBS in a part-time advisory role. Also an independent director with Singapore Airlines, Gledhill said he will also be back in Singapore every three months. Before joining DBS in 2008, Gledhill worked at J.P. Morgan for 20 years, holding senior regional positions in technology and operations.

    A DBS spokesperson said that Gledhill has been a leading figure in the bank’s transformation. He has been responsible for standardizing the bank’s systems, creating reliability and resilience, and most recently, taking DBS down the path of agile and cloud.

    Gledhill will be succeeded by Jimmy Ng, who has been deputy group head of technology and operations at DBS since January 2018. Having joined DBS in 2009, Ng started his career briefly as a system analyst in Singtel before joining the technology audit function in J.P. Morgan.

    He subsequently worked in various functions including operations, risk management and product control at ABN Amro.

  • Farfetch announces the first chief fashion officer

    Farfetch announces the first chief fashion officer

    The close relationship between luxury e-tailer Farfetch and Browns, the physical store that it acquired back in 2015, has become even closer with Browns’ CEO Holli Rogers having taken up a new role at the parent company. Rogers will stay on as the senior manager at Browns but has also become chief fashion officer at Farfetch, which will see her working closely with the e-tailer’s marketing, styling and VM teams “to ensure the company’s fashion approach is incorporated into the DNA of the overall customer experience of the brand”.

    Rogers, who was formerly Net-a-Porter fashion director, has had an impressive career at the cutting edge of both luxury physical retail and high-end e-tail. She has also worked at Neiman Marcus and Chanel.

    Farfetch CEO and founder José Neves said she “could bring her unique experience to the broader Farfetch business at an executive level. [Her] reputation, high regard among fashion CEOs, influencers and the wider industry, her relationships and her incredible aesthetic will be a huge benefit to Farfetch.”

    It is clear that she’s highly regarded at the company after having overseen a number of success for Browns from the opening of the Browns East location to the revamped visual image, launching collaborations at home and abroad and continuing to nurture new names.

  • Where will Apple retail chief go after resigning?

    Where will Apple retail chief go after resigning?

    Within hours of the announcement that Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts was to leave the role in April, speculation was rife as to where she is headed. Ahrendts, who led the fine-tuning of Apple’s retail business for five years after turning around British fashion house Burberry, has a stellar career in the luxury business. Several fashion industry sources have speculated she may be headed to take the helm of Ralph Lauren.

    In a statement announcing the Apple retail chief’s departure, the company said she is leaving the company “for new personal and professional pursuits”. CEO Tim Cook described her departure as “bittersweet”.

    During her time with Apple, Ahrendts – who was once tipped to take over Cook’s role in the future – has subtly redefined the Apple stores from high-end tech shops into community hubs. She took the renowned Apple Store concept created by predecessor Ron Johnson, dropped the “store” from its title and expanded the network to 506 physical stores and another 35 online.

    “Her vision includes stores as gathering spaces and hubs for creativity,” observed Daphne Howard of Retail Dive.

    “While Johnson is credited with initiating the brick-and-mortar strategy that has been the backbone of Apple’s hardware sales, including minimalist spaces conducive to product demos and customer education, Ahrendts has taken that [a step further].”

    Apple’s retail business will now be overseen by Deirdre O’Brien, the company’s senior VP of people, who will add retail to an already long list of responsibilities including talent development, Apple University, recruiting, employee relations, business partnerships, benefits, compensation and inclusion, and diversity.

    Some might see that as a sign Apple is reducing its focus on its retail business, although O’Brien might be considered something of an Apple acolyte, having been with the company for 30 years.