H&M Group Global CTO and CISO George Mudie announces decision to move on from retail giant in June

George Mudie has taken to social media to report that, after more than four years with H&M Group as Global CTO and CISO, he will be leaving the retailer on 1st June to pursue new opportunities.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “It has been a tremendous honour to help shape the technology and security agenda for one of the world's largest retailers: redefining our enterprise architecture, establishing the SAP and e-commerce transformations, building a global cyber security capability, and beginning the journey towards truly AI driven operations across 81 markets and 130,000 colleagues, and, above all, working alongside talented colleagues to drive real change.”

He added: “H&M Group is a business with exceptional people, a bold long-term vision, and the scale to make a real difference. I am grateful for every part of the experience. What's next? I am moving on to work at the intersection of AI first solutions and cybersecurity transformation - two areas I believe are inseparable in how enterprises will need to operate and defend themselves over the next decade. I'll be writing about where these worlds converge and what it means in practice. Follow along if that's your world too.”

Mudie concluded: “If you are navigating similar challenges, I would welcome the conversation. To everyone I have had the pleasure of working with - in Stockholm, London, New York, Bangalore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, across our markets, and throughout our partner network - thank you. It has been a privilege.”

Gustav Zetterström

Gustav Zetterström recently left H&M Group, where he spent the past ten years, most recently serving as SVP & Global Head of Emerging Technology & Innovation.

He has joined SAP as SVP, Global Head of Consumer Industries.

He commented: “After ten incredible years with H&M Group, I’m excited to start a new chapter at SAP. I am joining as SVP, Global Head of Consumer Industries, leading the end-to-end journey across Retail, Consumer Products, Agribusiness, and Health Sciences - with a clear focus on how AI can unlock real value for customers across the entire value chain.”

He added: “From product creation to supply chain and all the way to the end consumer, we are entering a new era where data and AI are not just enablers, but fundamental to how businesses operate, compete, and grow.”

“Looking back, I’m incredibly proud of what we built at H&M - driving end-to-end transformation across the full value chain, turning innovation into real business impact at scale. This was only possible thanks to exceptional teams, strong leadership, and a culture that truly embraces entrepreneurship and execution.”

Zetterström concluded: “At SAP, I’m excited to partner with global customers to accelerate this shift -connecting strategy, technology, and execution to deliver end-to-end, AI powered transformation at scale. A big thank you to everyone at H&M for the trust, support, and shared ambition over the past decade - it has meant a lot. Looking forward to what’s ahead.”

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

AI will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.