Yael Cosset, chief digital officer and group vice president for Kroger, has been promoted to chief information officer and senior vice president.
Cosset will succeed Christopher Hjelm, who plans to retire Aug. 1, according to a news release.
Hjelm has been a driving force in the development of technologies designed to improve customer experience, including ClickList, which facilitates online grocery ordering and pickup; Scan, Bag, Go, which allows shoppers to skip the checkout line; and EDGE Shelf, which uses digital tags to help shoppers find products and show them personalized offers as they shop.
“Yael and Chris have worked collaboratively to support Kroger’s technology evolution,” CEO Rodney McMullen said in the release. “Consistent with Kroger’s history of thoughtful succession planning, Chris and Yael have a deliberate transition plan to ensure continuity while successfully delivering on our Restock Kroger technology initiatives to redefine the grocery customer experience.”
Cosset has been group vice president and chief digital officer since January 2017. He was previously the chief commercial officer and chief information officer for 84.51. He also held several leadership roles at dunnhumby.
“Yael is driving Kroger’s business forward in support of Restock Kroger,” McMullen said in the release. “He is a passionate advocate for applying technology, innovation and customer science to make a difference in the lives of our customers. Yael has the qualifications, skills and strategic mindset to ensure technology and digital are key accelerators of Kroger’s future success.”
Cosset spoke in November about Kroger’s use of technology in shaping the grocery shopping experience and how the company decides how fast to move forward with different services.