Sears taps Hutchinson to lead supply chain

Sears Holdings has appointed William Hutchinson to the role of SVP and president, Supply Chain. He will succeed Raj Penkar, who is retiring on May 31, 2014 after leading the unit since 2011.

In his new role, Hutchinson will be responsible for all aspects of the supply chain, including distribution, transporation, customs compliance and global sourcing.

"Bill possesses the right combination of leadership, operational proficiency and technical acumen to lead our Supply Chain business unit," said Edward Lampert, Sears Holdings chairman and CEO. "His significant background working within retail environments will support a seamless transition and Bill's proven ability to achieve results is critical to improving our members' experience."

Most recently, Hutchinson was VP global fulfillment and logistics for Dell, Inc. in Round Rock, Texas. He spent a total of seven years with the company in logistics roles of increasing responsibility. Prior to that, he was VP, logistics and supply chain at Best Buy Company. He has also worked for Rite Aid Corporation, Accenture, Commerx and Andersen Consulting.