Department store David Jones has announced a cull and restructure of its head office, ahead of revealing the first stages of its digital overhaul this morning.
A number of key management team appointments will take effect from July 30, with a series of positions at the company also set to become redundant.
These redundancies include home and food group executive Patrick Robinson and marketing group executive Brett Riddington, as well as a number of other head office staff.
However, the department store has also made several new appointments and created three new positions, including group executive - merchandise, which will be filled by Donna Player.
Player has 30 years of retail experience, including 11 years at Woolworths Limited, where she most recently occupied the role of general manager of merchandise and planning at Big W.
David Jones' merchandise office has been consolidated under a new structure to report to one group executive, a move it believes will "remove duplication" and streamline operations.
David Jones chief executive Paul Zahra said Player, who has also held roles at Katies Fashion and Grace Bros, would be integral to the company's future direction.
"Her skill and track record in price negotiations with suppliers, dealing with deflationary pressures and the integration of merchandise systems and processes to support omni channel retailing are an important component of ensuring our management team has the right skill set and capabilities to deliver."
David Jones senior financial executive Matthew Durbin has also been appointed to the newly created role of executive - strategic planning.
Durbin will be responsible for managing the implementation of David Jones' Three Point Strategy, a plan which aims to maximise and develop the company's retail channels.
Senior merchandise executive Sacha Laing will fill the final newly created position of group executive - marketing and financial services.
Laing's marketing and financial services team has also been consolidated to strengthen the focus on spend and balance on David Jones' American Express cards and Store cards.
His team will also be responsible for driving loyalty and fully leveraging the company's data mining capabilities.
Zahra said the cost of head office restructuring will be borne as a one-off cost in the second half of fiscal 2012.
"I am confident that the appointments announced today provide us with the talent, experience and ability to transform our business into a successful omni channel retailer on par with the world's best."
Additional company appointments include:
- General manager marketing Adriane McDermott: McDermott has held senior marketing roles with Nike and Gap Inc/Banana Republic, with extensive experience in marketing, developing and promoting branded websites, advertising, apps and social media.
- General manager marketing - promotions and publicity Marion Joyce: Joyce has returned to David Jones after eight years in senior marketing and e-commerce roles, most recently as Toys R Us general manager - marketing and eCommerce.
- General manager marketing - financial services Kate Whitney: Prior to joining David Jones, Whitney held the role of head of brand and retail marketing at Foxtel and developed its acquisition and retention marketing strategy.
- General manager - Amex Alliance Gavin Skews: Skews has had significant experience in CFO roles within the Australian retail sector.