The Home Depot Hires AI Expert as Chief Technology Officer

The Home Depot (Atlanta) has hired Franziska “Fran” Bell as EVP and Chief Technology Officer, effective April 6. As CTO, she will lead the strategy, development and alignment of technology, product management, data and artificial intelligence (AI) for The Home Depot, the retailer said in a news release.

Most recently, Bell led the AI transformation at Ford Motor Co. as Chief Data, AI and Analytics Officer. Prior to that, she served as SVP of Digital Technology at BP and held executive roles at Uber and Toyota.

Franziska Bell. Photo: Courtesy of Bell via LinkedIn

“The Home Depot is a project retailer, and customers engage with us across multiple touch points – whether that’s online, in our aisles or increasingly, with AI,” said Ted Decker, Chair, President and CEO of the home-improvement retailer. “Fran is a respected leader in data science and AI, and she understands the power of technology to improve the customer experience. Her expertise will be invaluable as we invest to remove friction and make home improvement seamless for our associates and customers.”

Said Bell: “I’ve always believed that the most powerful technology is the kind you don’t notice, because it’s busy behind the scenes making your life easier. Joining a customer-first brand like The Home Depot is an incredible opportunity to put technology and AI to work where it matters most—helping homeowners confidently take on their first renovations or giving pro contractors the digital tools they need to grow their businesses. I look forward to working with this incredible team to build even smarter ways to get the job done.”

The store footprint Bell will be involved with consists of nearly 2400 company retail stores and over 1250 SRS locations across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico.