DHR Global Recruits CIO for Academy Sports + Outdoors
May 16, 2025 – Talent advisory firm DHR Global has recruited Sumit Anand as the new executive vice president and chief information officer at Academy Sports + Outdoors. The search was completed by global managing partners Marcey Rubin Stamas and Sal DiFranco. “Mr. Anand, a lifelong customer of Academy Sports + Outdoors, brings extensive experience in cybersecurity, IT infrastructure, digital, and operational agility to advance the organization’s competitive edge and support the company’s continued expansion into new markets and states,” DHR said in a LinkedIn post. “The DHR Global team is proud to have assisted Academy Sports + Outdoors in placing Sumit Anand in this key role. We look forward to watching the Academy Sports + Outdoors team continue to grow its footprint with Mr. Anand’s value-added technology leadership.”
Mr. Anand previously served in a variety of executive roles for At Home, based in Dallas, including chief information officer and head of strategy and was previously senior vice president of business and technology transformation at Signet Jewelers as well as holding leadership roles with Accenture.
In this position Mr. Anand will oversee all enterprise technology operations including cybersecurity, IT infrastructure and operations, and IT shared services supporting the company’s corporate, distribution center, and retail initiatives. He joined Academy in March 2025, and reports directly to Steve Lawrence, CEO of the company.
Academy is a leading full-line sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer in the United States. Originally founded in 1938 as a family business in Texas, Academy has grown to more than 300 stores across 21 states and counting. Academy’s product assortment focuses on key categories of outdoor, apparel, sports & recreation and footwear through both leading national brands and a portfolio of private label brands.
Since 1989, DHR Global has been a leading, privately held provider of executive search solutions with more than 50 wholly owned offices spanning the globe. The firm’s consultants specialize in all industries and functions, providing senior-level executive search, management assessment, and succession planning services.
Ms. Rubin Stamas is vice chairman and managing partner, based in Chicago. She joined the firm in 1998 and has been instrumental in the development and growth of both the retail and consumer practices for DHR. With more than 30 years in executive search, her expertise spans consumer, retail, hospitality, beauty, health & wellness and fintech. For more than two decades, recruits at the CEO, board and officer level across all functional areas within public, private, private equity and franchised companies including searches for Books-A-Million, Banfield Pet Hospital, Danone, David Yurman, Disney, DFIN, Jane Iredale, Kate Somerville, K9 Resorts, Michaels Stores, NYX Cosmetics, PANDORA Jewelry, Peter Millar, Planet Fitness, Raley’s, Ross Stores, Tumi and Unilever Prestige.
Mr. DiFranco serves as managing partner of the global advanced technology and CIO/CTO practices specializing in cloud, digital transformation, IoT, data & analytics and software & applications including SaaS. He specializes in C-level technology searches across all practices, with a focus on industrial technology, fintech, healthcare IT, consumer & retail and professional services. Mr. DiFranco has 30 years of experience as an executive recruiter, completing more than 1,000 technology searches throughout his career. His clients range from Fortune 500 to venture capital-backed startup technology firms and he is consistently a top producer at DHR.
CIO Recruiting
Over the past year, a number of organizations have turned to executive search firms to help them find top flight CIOs. Here are a few of the top assignments tracked by Hunt Scanlon Media:
Toronto-based executive search firm Massey Henry was recently retained by Prairie Payments Joint Venture (PPJV) to lead in its search for a new CIO. Reporting to the CEO, the CIO is responsible for overseeing technology architecture, infrastructure management, information systems, and information security – either delivered in-house or through third-party partners. In collaboration with the PPJV leadership team, this executive develops and maintains the technology strategy and roadmap, ensuring alignment with emerging technologies, industry standards, and corporate objectives. The search firm is looking for a seasoned technology executive with strong knowledge of the credit union ecosystem, payment systems, and broader Canadian financial services sector.
JM Search, a senior-level talent provider serving private equity investors, portfolio companies, and Fortune 1000s, recently helped to recruit Aurelian Sin as CIO of Subaru of America. Partners Bill Hogenauer and Ben Millrood led the assignment. “With more than 20 years of experience in IT leadership roles, Aurelian has developed successful IT strategies and roadmaps aligned with the business goals of each venture, making him the perfect fit for this position,” JM Search said. “Congratulations to Aurelian on his new role. We are excited for the continued success of Subaru and Aurelian.” Mr. Sin is a seasoned, IT and business executive noted for building high-performing teams and a talent for quickly understanding business needs to design and implement IT-based transformations. He has in-depth experience in ERP/SAP platforms, analytics, and cloud/SaaS technologies with hands-on operations and performance management experience. Mr. Sin has a track record of implementing global, enterprise-wide IT solutions across multiple industries/geographies and translating business needs into a comprehensive strategy.
Executive recruitment firm Anthem Executive has placed Henry G. Torres as the new chief information officer Texas Woman’s University (TWU) in Denton, TX. Dr. Torres joins TWU from the Arkansas State University System, where he has served as vice president of information technology & CIO. In his role at Arkansas State, he led teams of IT professionals across seven system campuses and was instrumental in overseeing several key initiatives related to emerging technology, cloud services/hosting, and improving IT service. In his private-sector career, Dr. Torres has been an information technology executive specializing in the areas of distribution, logistics, store operations, and e-commerce. In his new position with TWU, Dr. Torres is responsible for advancing the university’s curriculum, providing leadership for the faculty, overseeing research, and developing strategic, innovative programs that complement Texas Woman’s mission and strengths.
Related: CIO Partners Recruits Portfolio President and CIO for AccelerEd
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
