Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) has appointed Stephen Gillett, formerly an executive vice president and president for global marketing and strategy at Best Buy Digital, as EVP and chief operating officer.
The appointment is effective Friday, Symantec said, and Gillett will report to Chairman and CEO Steve Bennett, who started as chief executive in July.
Gillett will be initially responsible for marketing, communications and information technology and will take on additional responsibilities to be announced in late January, when the company is scheduled to unveil a new strategy.
“He has been deeply involved in the transformation of a number of high profile companies at the executive level and is highly respected in the CIO community worldwide, ” Bennett said. “His arrival is timely as we continue to finalize our strategic direction and operational plan to be announced in late January.”
Gillett will step down from the board of directors to become COO after nearly one year on the board.
“He will have an immediate impact due to his familiarity with the company from his tenure on the board, ” Bennett said.
“Great companies are defined by their market position, customer base, brand awareness, the quality of their products and by the type of industry they’re involved in, ” Gillett said. “I look forward to working with everyone at Symantec to help the company achieve its full potential.”
While at Best Buy, Gillett oversaw digital, e-commerce, marketing, IT, customer insights, enterprise strategy, corporate development, new business ventures, enterprise customer care and channel design functions.
Before joining Best Buy, Gillett served as chief information officer and EVP for digital ventures at Starbucks and also held executive roles at Corbis, Yahoo and CNET.
