Big Lots Appoints Chief Technology Officer

Big Lots has appointed a new CTO to replace Stew Wenerstrom who will be officially retiring in October following a transition period.

Gurmeet Singh was named executive vice president, chief technology officer of Big Lots as of July 12. Singh will report directly to president and CEO Bruce Thorn.

"As a self-professed technology enthusiast with a passion for innovation and customer experience, I couldn't be happier to join the Big Lots team at this point in its omnichannel journey," said Singh. "I look forward to leading the already strong Big Lots technology team."

Singh brings more than 30 years of experience in information technology to the retailer and received a Ph.D. in Engineering from Rice University. Most recently, Singh was the group chief digital officer at the Al Futtaim Group in Dubai, leading all technology, data and digital efforts for the conglomerate. Previously he served as EVP, chief digital, information and marketing officer at 7-Eleven Inc. and prior to that held similar roles at CapitalOne, Intuit Inc. and FedEx. Mr.

Singh has been recognized by industry peers with a number of awards, including the 2019 Retail Tech Innovator award.

"We're really excited to welcome Gurmeet to Big Lots and to my staff," said Thorn. "Gurmeet is a proven transformation leader in the retail technology space. I am confident that Gurmeet will help us continue to innovate and grow our technology platform to even better serve our customer when, where and how she wants to shop.

“As much as we are looking forward to having Gurmeet join our team, we need to acknowledge Stew's more than 18 years of fantastic service to Big Lots. Before he retires in October, Stew will be able to help onboard Gurmeet and give him a huge leg up in his transition. Even after his retirement, Stew will continue to be a part of the Big Lots family, and we will miss him."