Zendesk has appointed Tom Keiser, former CIO and Executive VP of Product Operations at Gap Inc., as its first CIO.
Keiser, whose career spans 20 years of leading global technology initiatives for consumer product and retail companies, most recently led the modernization of Gap’s IT systems to address the rise of digital and mobile consumers. In his new role, Keiser will focus on scaling Zendesk’s IT, security and data systems and architecture across its worldwide offices, as well as serve as an external executive champion about the impact of technology on customer relationships.
“Coming from the retail world, I’ve seen first-hand how technology innovations are reshaping the way we shop, buy and interact with businesses,” Keiser said in a statement. “Every organization today must use the right combination of technology and people to build better customer relationships, and I’m excited to be able to help companies through that transformation by joining the Zendesk team.”
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Gap has faced numerous challenges recently. Last year, the retailer announced plans to close 175 specialty stores in North America and eliminate 250 corporate jobs. The company hired a new CMO in January 2016 but saw its stock slump 21% in April 2016 following a steep drop in March comparable sales. Including April, Gap has now reported comparable sales declines for 13 straight quarters. The situation at the company doesn’t appear to be improving, and Fitch Ratings recently downgraded Gap to “junk” status, citing reduced confidence that the company could stabilize sales.
