The Finish Line, Inc. (NASDAQ: FINL), a premium retailer of athletic shoes, apparel and accessories, has hired AJ Sutera as Executive Vice President, Chief Information and Technology Officer.
“At Finish Line, we strive to continually foster a culture of innovation that delivers new, meaningful ways of engaging with the consumer,” said Melissa Greenwell, Finish Line’s chief operating officer and EVP. “AJ has a solid background of assessing, designing and implementing award-winning solutions that have propelled the overall consumer experience. His valued insight will help us further differentiate Finish Line in the marketplace.”
Sutera will oversee Finish Line’s information and technology functions and digital operational solutions supporting the consumer experience. He will also drive the enterprise technology roadmap to support the company’s overall strategic business plan.
Prior to joining the company, Sutera held several senior leadership roles within Hudson’s Bay Company from 2007 to 2016 in support of a seamless omnichannel customer experience. He also served as senior director of business solutions and technology at JetBlue Airways, senior director of business technology solutions at Liberty Travel/GOGO Worldwide Vacations in addition to CIO for GlobalWorks Group LLC and various management positions with Volvo North America and General Electric earlier in his career.
Sutera holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Montclair State University, a master’s certificate in computer science and project management from Stevens Institute of Technology, a Six Sigma Green Belt certification from the University of Michigan as well as the Project Management Professional (PMP) distinction. Additionally, he has served as a Technology School of Management board member since 2014. He also currently holds client advisory board member seats with Adobe and Demandware.
About The Finish Line, Inc.
The Finish Line, Inc. is a premium retailer of athletic shoes, apparel and accessories. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Finish Line has approximately 1,000 Finish Line branded locations primarily in U.S. malls and shops inside Macy’s department stores and employs more than 14,000 sneakerologists who help customers every day connect with their sport, their life and their style. Online shopping is available at www.finishline.com and www.macys.com. Mobile shopping is available at m.finishline.com. Follow Finish Line on Twitter at Twitter.com/FinishLine or Twitter.com/FinishLineNews and “like” Finish Line on Facebook at Facebook.com/FinishLine. Track loyalty points and find store and product information with the free Finish Line app downloadable for iOS and Android customers.
Finish Line also operates the Running Specialty Group. This includes 72 specialty running stores in 16 states and the District of Columbia under the JackRabbit, The Running Company, Run On!, Blue Mile, Boulder Running Company, Roncker’s Running Spot, Running Fit, VA Runner, Capital RunWalk, Richmond RoadRunner, Garry Gribble’s Running Sports, Run Colorado, Raleigh Running Outfitters, Striders and Indiana Running Company banners. More information is available at www.jackrabbit.com or www.boulderrunningcompany.com. Follow the latest about the brand on Twitter or Instagram via @JackRabbitNYC.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release includes statements that are or may be considered "forward-looking" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of words or phrases such as "believe," "expect," "future," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "foresee," "may," "should," "will," "estimates," "outlook," "potential," "optimistic," "confidence," "continue," "evolve," "expand," "growth" or words and phrases of similar meaning. Statements that describe objectives, plans or goals also are forward-looking statements.
All of these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, management assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the relevant forward-looking statements. The principal risk factors that could cause actual performance and future actions to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the company's reliance on a few key vendors for a majority of its merchandise purchases (including a significant portion from one key vendor); the availability and timely receipt of products; the ability to timely fulfill and ship products to customers; fluctuations in oil prices causing changes in gasoline and energy prices, resulting in changes in consumer spending as well as increases in utility, freight and product costs; product demand and market acceptance risks; deterioration of macro-economic and business conditions; the inability to locate and obtain or retain acceptable lease terms for the company's stores; the effect of competitive products and pricing; loss of key employees; execution of strategic growth initiatives (including actual and potential mergers and acquisitions and other components of the company's capital allocation strategy); cybersecurity risks, including breach of customer data; a major failure of technology and information systems and the other risks detailed in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Readers are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included herein are made only as of the date of this report and Finish Line undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160316006030/en/
Contacts:
Dianna L. Boyce, Corporate Communications,
317-613-6577
