QXO hires a chief artificial intelligence officer
QXO has appointed Ashwin Rao as chief artificial intelligence officer, effective immediately. He will serve as the company’s principal AI architect.
Brad Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of QXO, said, “Artificial intelligence will permeate everything we do at QXO, including demand forecasting, inventory management and e-commerce. Ashwin is recognized as one of the brightest minds in enterprise AI. He will be instrumental in making QXO the most tech-forward company in the industry.”
Rao’s career spans more than 30 years. From 2016 through 2022, he served as the first-ever head of AI for Target Corporation, where he led a team that developed mathematical models for pricing, merchandising, customer experience, supply chain logistics and other business functions. His application of AI helped Target rebuild its entire supply chain, per QXO. He also led an initiative to build AI into Target’s core retail business. Overhauling the product recommendation engine helped generated billions of dollars of revenue for the company.
For QXO, Rao will be tasked with building a team of data scientists based in Palo Alto to build the company's AI function. According to QXO, Rao's work will span the entire company, from route optimization in transportation, to robotics and automation in the warehouses to supply chain optimization. Rao and his team will use AI-based inventory management systems to ensure deliveries are accurate, optimized and on time.
“The opportunities to use AI to transform the building products distribution industry are endless,” Rao said. “I’m excited to get started on dozens of AI workstreams that, combined with advantages of scale, will help QXO increase efficiency, optimize supply chains and add value for our customers.”
Rao began his career on Wall Street as a derivatives trading quant strategist with Goldman Sachs and later as managing director of market modeling for Morgan Stanley. He earned a doctorate in theoretical computer science from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. He serves as an adjunct professor of applied mathematics at Stanford University.
