Macy's cuts chief operational officer role

In a C-suite shakeup, Macy’s Inc. has cut its chief operating officer role. The current chief operating officer John Harper will step down on August 1 with no replacement in line. His direct reports will now report to Jeff Jennette, Macy’s Inc. chairman and chief executive officer.

Marla Beck, co-founder and CEO of Bluemercury, which is owned by Macy’s, will also be leaving the company this summer. The company is currently undergoing a search for her successor.

The C-suite restructuring also sees the appointments of chief information officer Laura Miller, effective March 15, and vice president of real estate Chuck DiGiovanna has been promoted to lead Macy’s real estate division.

The C-suite shakeup is aligned with the company’s Polaris growth strategy. Macy’s has been evaluating its company structure to cut costs ever since they took a hit from the coronavirus lockdowns.

“As a digitally led omnichannel retailer, Macy’s, Inc. is in the midst of an exciting transformation,” said Gennette in a statement. “We are building a diverse leadership team that includes a blend of new talent with outside perspectives along with our tenured and best developed leaders who will accelerate the progress of our Polaris growth strategy. I am confident that these changes in reporting structure will enable us to be nimbler and more efficient as we move forward in our recovery and drive top and bottom-line growth.”

He added that, “I am thrilled to welcome Laura to Macy’s, Inc. as chief information officer. Her deep experience implementing technology-enabled strategies will play an important role in advancing our work to improve the full omni shopping experience and modernize our platforms. I extend my gratitude to John, who has dedicated more than 35 years of his career to Macy’s and has been an important partner to me and the management team, as well as to Naveen and Doug for their many contributions to Macy’s. We also thank Marla for her many accomplishments at Bluemercury. Each has been a valued leader at our company, and we wish them all the best in the future.”

image: Macy’s, Inc.