News
Best Buy Names New CIO Supporting International Growth
MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 25, 2008 – Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) said that Neville Roberts will join the company in a new position as chief information officer of Best Buy International, the strategic business unit focused on the enterprise’s growth outside of the United States. In his new role, Roberts will report to Robert Willett, chief executive officer of Best Buy International and the enterprise’s chief information officer.
“As the leader of Best Buy International’s information technology team, Neville will focus on the services, tools and people essential to the success of our international growth plans and our technology agenda," said Willett. "I am confident that Neville’s proven ability with blue chip companies throughout Europe and Asia to interrelate their systems support and overall strategies will be of great value to us. Best Buy will benefit from his business acumen, strategic approach and deep technical skills as we continue our growth in Canada and China, further our partnership with The Carphone Warehouse in Europe, and embark on our expansion into Mexico and Turkey.”
Prior to joining Best Buy, Roberts spent over 18 years at Accenture, most recently as a senior partner in their Global Retail Practice where he was responsible for clients such as Wal-Mart International (including ASDA), WHSmith, Argos and Tesco. He worked with these well-respected retailers on a variety of initiatives, including supply chain, multi-channel/e-commerce delivery, technology delivery, CRM, and outsourcing. As a member of Accenture’s Global Retail Team, he focused on working with Oracle Retail (Retek) to deliver value by creating opportunities to increase revenues and margin through efficiencies, growth strategies and technology.
Roberts will lead Best Buy’s international information systems team to create “Best Buy-in-a-box,” a suite of off-the-shelf IT packages and custom-built applications bound together by integration services, that can provide standardized systems and processes as Best Buy moves into new global markets. One of his primary initial focuses will be to create an ecommerce platform as part of the multi-channel strategy to support the company’s international growth.
Roberts also will work closely with the enterprise information systems team on the creation and implementation of enterprise-wide technology initiatives. “We all share a common goal: to leverage technology to its greatest advantage and assist the company in its efforts to transition from a technology-centered culture to customer-centered culture while working to humanize technology,” said Willett.
About Best Buy Co., Inc.
Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY) operates a global portfolio of brands with a commitment to growth and innovation. Our employees strive to provide customers around the world with superior experiences by responding to their unique needs and aspirations. We sell consumer electronics, home-office products, entertainment software, appliances and related services through nearly 1,300 retail stores across the United States, throughout Canada and in China. Our multi-channel operations include: Best Buy (BestBuy.com, BestBuy.ca and BestBuy.com.cn), Future Shop (FutureShop.ca), Geek Squad (GeekSquad.com and GeekSquad.ca), Pacific Sales Kitchen and Bath Centers (PacificSales.com), Magnolia Audio Video (Magnoliaav.com), Jiangsu Five Star Appliance Co. (Five-Star.cn) and Speakeasy (Speakeasy.net). Best Buy supports the communities in which its employees work and live through volunteerism and grants that benefit children and education.
