Atlanta — The Home Depot® has named Dr. Franziska “Fran” Bell as executive vice president (EVP) and chief technology officer (CTO), 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.
Most recently, Bell led AI transformation as chief data, AI and analytics officer for Ford Motor Company. Prior to Ford, she served as senior vice president of digital technology at BP and held executive roles at Uber and Toyota. As a globally recognized leader in technology and AI, she will drive the enterprise-wide integration of agentic AI and machine learning to create a seamless, interconnected and data-driven experience for The Home Depot’s associates, DIYers and Pro customers.
“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,” says Ted Decker, chair, president and CEO of The Home Depot. “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.”
The Home Depot is the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer with 2,359 retail stores and over 1,250 SRS locations across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico.
SOURCE: The Home Depot