J. C. Penney Company Inc. on Tuesday announced Karl Walsh, an executive with more than 18 years of e-commerce expertise, has been appointed senior vice president, chief digital officer.
Walsh, who joined the company December 2, will lead strategic advancements of the company’s digital platforms and bring the customer experience to life, most notably in its flagship store jcp.com. In this role, Walsh will report to Shawn Gensch, executive vice president, chief customer officer.
“We are thrilled to welcome Karl to JCPenney as we drive the renewal of our Company and showcase our brand strategy through exceptional, seamless experiences for our customers,” said Gensch. “Nearly 90 percent of shoppers begin their path to purchase online, so Karl’s background of building and executing digital strategies for global brands will help us improve our eCommerce offering and drive traffic across all channels. His strategic vision will be an asset for us as we continue delivering inspiring, shared experiences to our customers, helping to restore JCPenney to sustainable, profitable growth.”
Most recently, Walsh was chief digital officer at Pandora Jewelry, where he grew its global e-commerce business and increased cross-channel consumer engagement. Previously, he led the U.S. consumer e-commerce and digital practice for Boston Consulting Group and served clients in the consumer and retail practices at McKinsey & Company. Walsh earned his bachelor’s degree in business studies and economics from Trinity College in Dublin and his Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School.
