Yoox Net-A-Porter Group appoints first chief data and analytics officer

Yoox Net-A-Porter Group has appointed Alessia Kosagowsky as its chief data and analytics officer, a newly created role.

The online fashion retailer developed the position on its senior leadership team to help develop the firm’s use of data to provide a better service for customers.

“With 20 years of experience in data and analytics, Alessia is a true leader in the field,” said Irene Boni, co-chief operating officer at Yoox Net-A-Porter Group. “What has impressed us most about Alessia is her ability to design teams and analytical solutions, developing approaches that are fit for the maturity of the organisation while being future-proofed for organic evolution.”

Kosagowsky will begin her role at YNAP in February 2018, where she will lead the group’s data and business insight team to build its use of customer data and make the business more “customer centric” – using technologies such as big data, data analytics and reporting – and making use of all of the data the retailer collects.

She will work directly with the firm’s CIO Alex Alexander and the technology team, and will report to co-chief operating officer Boni.

The last few years has seen a rise in the number of data scientist positions in the UK, as firms begin to focus on using the increasing pool of data collected from day-to-day to improve the way the business is run and increase competitive advantage.

This is becoming especially important for retailers in both a customer-facing and back-end capacity as the increased demand and expectation from consumers is forcing retailers to use data to develop more personalised interactions with consumers, as well as a more efficient supply chain to keep ahead of the competition.

Currently Kosagowsky is the vice-president of global customer analytics for luxury retailer Burberry, where she helped to develop and change the way the company used data and advised the leadership board on how to use data for strategy and operational efficiency.

She is the advisory board member on business analytics for Imperial College London and previously held several positions at Vodafone, including head of global customer analytics, head of customer value management for Vodafone Ireland and head of customer value management and insights for Vodafone UK.

As well as developing the firm’s data science, data research and data platforms, Kosagowsky will also be responsible for investigating how the retailer can use artificial intelligence (AI) – something group CIO Alex Alexander eluded the firm could work on earlier in 2017.

He told Computer Weekly Yoox Net-A-Porter was working to improve gender balance its tech remit, and that “artificial intelligence and cognitive commerce” are areas where women have the opportunity to “lead and push the agenda forward”.