Lowe’s hires Best Buy executive

Lowe’s has announced the appointment of Marise Kumar as senior VP strategy and modeling. In this newly created role, Kumar is responsible for identifying opportunities that will positively impact the customer experience. She will work closely with leaders in the Customer Experience unit and across the organization to ensure these opportunities are practical, financially valid and create a compelling experience for customers across all channels. 

Kumar will report to Robert Gfeller, Customer Experience design executive. 

Kumar joins Lowe’s with more than 25 years of experience in brand management, general management and executive leadership, serving most recently as chief customer experience officer and chief marketing officer for Best Buy. Before her retail experience with Best Buy, she spent 13 years with Whirlpool, where she managed Emerging Brands and Businesses in the United States before leading Strategic Planning for North America and Global Customer Loyalty. Her career began in packaged goods, where she spent more than 10 years in Asia with Colgate Palmolive.

Kumar holds a B.A. degree in economics and statistics from Elphinstone College in Bombay, India, and earned an M.B.A. from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta.