Simon Pakenham-Walsh joins River Island as CIO following three-year run as CTO at Sweaty Betty

River Island has appointed Simon Pakenham-Walsh as CIO.

He joins from Sweaty Betty where he served as Chief Technology Officer.

He also held the role of VP of Consumer Technology at Wolverine Worldwide.

His CV also includes stints at Arcadia Group as Digital and Retail Technology Director, and CIO for Sainsbury’s Food.

In a LinkedIn post, Pakenham-Walsh said: “Thank you Sweaty Betty and Wolverine Worldwide for the last three years.”

“I have met some brilliant people, been a part of delivering some great technology for brands that I love, learnt loads and had a lot of fun along the way. What more can I ask for?”

He added: “I am sorry to leave. But I am equally very excited and privileged to have been given the opportunity to take on my next challenge as CIO for another amazing, iconic retail brand - River Island.”

AI isn’t magic

Andy Gamble, Chief Information Officer at Currys, recently took to social media to discuss time spent reviewing progress on some of the retailer’s AI initiatives.

He commented: “As a CIO, I have already seen lots of examples of AI creating value and efficiency, but I have also seen many AI projects go nowhere.”

“The biggest trap for AI adoption was aptly described to me this week in the words of writer CEO May Habib as getting stuck in “POC Purgatory”! That is to say - AI projects stay in the proof-of-concept stage without scaling or delivering results.”

“It’s a good reminder - AI isn’t magic - it needs the same guardrails as any other initiative.”

These, Gamble noted, are as follows:

• Set clear and measurable scope and goals that match the business vision/customer needs.

• Ensure data availability and quality.

• Pick the right tools, models and platforms.

• Work with cross-functional teams and external partners for buy-in and support.

• Track and evaluate the performance/impact and iterate as needed.

Gamble concluded: “In this way perhaps we can all escape POC Purgatory and instead launch scaled AI solutions that deliver on the promise of this incredible technology.”