Chief Digital Information Officer Ellen Svanström announces end of ten year run at retail giant H&M Group
Ellen Svanström has announced her departure from H&M Group, where she spent the past ten years, most recently serving as CDIO. In a LinkedIn post, in which she did not reveal her next move, she said: “The time has come to conclude my ten years with H&M Group. It's been a fantastic journey filled with amazing colleagues and great memories that could fill an entire book.”
She added: “The journey started with driving group strategy, business and tech development, then moving on to building business ventures and lastly, leading our global tech organisation. I'm especially grateful and proud of the last 3,5 years with all my fantastic colleagues in business tech and everything we have accomplished together. H&M Group will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey - I will miss you all.”
Gustav Zetterström
Gustav Zetterström also recently left H&M Group, where he served as SVP & Global Head of Emerging Technology & Innovation.
He has joined SAP as SVP, Global Head of Consumer Industries.
He said: “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.
