Farfetch hires first chief data officer amid management reorganisation

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Jun 13, 2019

Farfetch has made several changes to its senior management team. Kshitij Kumar has been appointed as the company’s first chief data officer, whilst Holli Rogers is to become its first chief brand officer.

Additionally, Kelly Kowal has been named executive vice president of Farfetch Platform Solutions, and Sandrine Deveaux has been promoted to executive vice president of Store of the Future.

Commenting on the reshuffled management team, José Neves, Farfetch founder, CEO and co-chairman, said the changes “continue to boost our capabilities and sharpen our strategic execution with dedicated focus on key initiatives”.

“They reflect the importance of our strategic priority to build our brand – blending both the ‘art’ of building a fashion brand and the ‘science’ involved in building world-class data-driven demand generation capabilities,” he explained.

As chief data officer, Kshitij Kumar will drive forward the company’s efforts in AI and data science. He has lots of experience in the area, having served as vice president of data solutions at Zalando, where he was responsible for all central activities, artificial intelligence and data governance.

“The changes also speak to the rapid growth of Farfetch Platform Solutions in recent months, following the acquisition of CuriosityChina, our innovation partnership with Chanel and our agreement with Harrods to create an e-commerce offering for the department store,” said José Neves.

Holli Rogers, who joined the Farfetch executive board as chief fashion officer in February, will act as chief brand officer, assuming responsibility for all initiatives related to the firm’s brand development. She will also continue to work as the CEO of fashion retailer Browns, a role she has held since 2015.

Meanwhile, John Veichmanis is stepping down from his role as chief marketing officer after four years with the fashion e-commerce firm.
“John has built a hugely successful marketing operation over the last four years and bequeaths Farfetch a fantastic team,” said the Farfetch CEO. “On behalf of myself and the board, we would like to thank him for his contribution to the company and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

On Wednesday the company also announced that it was launching a flagship store on JD.com, further expanding its links with one of its largest shareholders.