— Nordstrom has a new technology leader.
The retail giant hired Jason Morris as its new chief technology and information officer, effective May 1.
Morris comes from Walmart, where he spent more than 16 years and was most recently a vice president of retail technology.
Morris replaces Edmond Mesrobian, who stepped down in October.
Digital sales made up 38% of total sales in Nordstrom’s fiscal 2022. Digital sales decreased in the fourth quarter by 13.1% compared to the same period in 2021 due to the elimination of store fulfillment for Nordstrom Rack digital orders and the sunsetting of Trunk Club, the company said in an earnings release.
Nordstrom said last year it was seeing growth in digital services such as virtual style boards and online styling appointments.
The company cut its revenue forecast last year, citing slowing traffic and customer demand, predominately at Nordstrom Rack. Nordstrom’s stock is down 40% over the past year.
— Joseph Staten, a longtime Microsoft leader and Halo veteran, announced he is taking a job with Netflix as a creative director for a new “AAA multiplatform game and original IP.” It’s the latest sign of Netflix’s big ambitions for gaming.
— Seattle immigration startup Boundless hired Wenhan Zhang as its new head of engineering.
Zhang previously was CTO at New York City real estate company Alfred, and held leadership roles at Amazon and Microsoft.
Boundless spun out of Pioneer Square Labs in 2017 and offers software and services to streamline the immigration process. The startup raised $25 million in April 2021 in its latest funding round.
— The Washington State Department of Commerce named Michael Fong as its new director, effective May 8.
Fong is currently regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s operations in the Pacific Northwest, a role appointed by President Biden in January 2022. Fong also held leadership roles in Seattle, King County, and Snohomish County, and served as senior deputy mayor for the City of Seattle from 2017 to 2021.
Fong replaces Lisa Brown, who departed March 4.
— The Seattle Seahawks announced two promotions: Jeff Dunn to chief strategy officer, overseeing the Seahawks’ analytics team, and Kenton Olson to vice president of digital and emerging media, overseeing the social and digital platforms teams.
