OfficeMax names Barr Chief Digital Officer

PRNewswire

NAPERVILLE — OfficeMax Inc. has appointed Jim Barr as executive vice president and chief digital officer, effective Nov. 14.

Barr will report to Ravi Saligram, president and CEO of OfficeMax, and will be responsible for all aspects of the company’s e-commerce business and for driving its multi-channel digital strategy. Barr has been working with the OfficeMax e-commerce business in an advisory capacity since July 2011 to assess the opportunities for the business and develop a strategy to maximize its potential.

“Jim is a proven digital expert who has built industry leading e-commerce businesses,” said Saligram.  “That expertise will be invaluable to us as we invest in our digital offerings and develop a seamless multi-channel experience for our retail consumers and our business customers.”

Barr has successfully developed and executed strategies to drive profitable growth in several senior level e-commerce positions.  Most recently, he served as president of Sears Holdings’ online division where he held full P&L accountability for sears.com and significantly grew the business.  Prior to joining Sears, Barr held positions of increasing responsibility at Microsoft for 12 years, most recently serving as general manager, business-to-consumer e-commerce and marketplaces, where he had full business responsibility and led the global e-commerce strategy. Barr is a graduate of Miami University and received a Master of Business Administration degree from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

The company also said Michael MacDonald, executive vice president and president of the contract division, is resigning for personal reasons. Steve Mongeau, senior vice president sales and growth initiatives, will be interim sales head for the North American Contract organization.