By George Anderson
John Walden has a big job ahead of him. Yesterday, he was named to the newly created position of chief customer officer (CCO) at Sears Holdings, making him responsible for getting the struggling Sears and Kmart chains to become more responsive to consumers' needs.
Mr. Walden has a track record in this area, no doubt. Most recently he served as executive vice president of Best Buy's customer business group and was intimately involved in the chain's heralded customer-centricity efforts. Before joining Best Buy, Mr. Walden was chief operating officer at the online grocer Peapod.
In a press release, Sears Holdings chairman Edward Lampert said, he was looking to Mr. Walden to help "accelerate the company's journey to become more entrepreneurial and customer-driven."
The new CCO comes to a company that has seen sales consistently drop quarter after quarter under Mr. Lampert's leadership.
Mr. Walden arrives one week after Joan Chow, the chief marketing officer of Sears, left the company. Her departure marks another in a number of high profile exits in recent years.
As to the new chief customer officer position, Torrey Foster Jr., managing partner at Heidrick & Struggles, told the Chicago Tribune, "With retail as competitive as it is and as cutthroat as ever, you're seeing companies create these uber-marketing and customer roles as a way to acknowledge they need a depth of understanding of their customers."
Discussion Question: Edward Lampert is looking for John Walden to create a "more entrepreneurial and customer-driven" company. In practical terms, what would that mean at the headquarters and store levels at Sears and Kmart?