PetSmart has appointed Jesica Duarte as executive vice president and chief commercial officer. Duarte will oversee merchandising, proprietary brands, merchandise planning and allocation, digital and marketing organizations at the omnichannel pet retailer.
The newly created role is part of PetSmart's strategy to accelerate growth, enhance customer experience and expand market share, noted Ken Hicks, PetSmart president and CEO.
"Jesica is a strategic and growth-minded leader, with an impressive career tenure working across successful retail brands," said Hicks. "She has led teams through significant business and process transformations, while delivering strong business results and her expertise will be invaluable as we work to advance our long-range plan."
Duarte brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across retail, grocery, beauty and food and beverage industries. Most recently, she served as group vice president of national merchandising for Albertsons Companies. Prior to that, she spent nearly 12 years at Walmart in various leadership roles including vice president of private brands for general merchandise at Walmart U.S., vice president of product development and sourcing for home at Walmart U.S., and chief merchandising and marketing officer for Walmart Chile.
Her experience also includes merchandising and marketing positions at Molson Coors Beverage Company, Beam Suntory, Estee Lauder and J.C. Penney.
"This is an exciting time at PetSmart, and I'm thrilled to be joining this impressive team at such a pivotal time in the business," said Duarte. "PetSmart has such a special and unique community of associates, pet parents and pets who all share the same passion and I'm looking forward to being a part of that. I'm equally pleased to bring together my own passions for merchandising, marketing and meeting the customer where they are with omnichannel capabilities and to contribute to the work being done to make PetSmart the favorite pet retailer."
Duarte holds an MBA from Georgetown University and a bachelor's degree in business and economics from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. She serves as an advocate for the Hispanic community and has served as chair of the Idaho Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
