C.H. Robinson Worldwide promoted COO Arun Rajan to a newly created role of chief strategy and innovation officer, the brokerage announced Thursday.
The CSIO will lead the development and deployment of strategic initiatives, spearhead M&A analysis and command research to inform the global company on organizational transformation, according to a news release.
“With a single-threaded leader at the helm of strategy and innovation, we are doubling down on efforts already underway to bring industry-leading products, technology, solutions, and ways of working to the global logistics marketplace,” President and CEO Dave Bozeman said in the release.
Rajan joined the Eden Prairie, Minnesota-headquartered company in 2021 as chief technology officer and became COO in October 2022. His COO role will not be backfilled, the company said.
Familiar with the C-suite, he previously served as CTO at Whole Foods Market and key executive roles at online retailer Zappos including CTO and COO, among other leadership positions with companies ranging from Travelocity Europe to lastminute.com, per an annual report.
Over the years, the brokerage has worked to become leaner and expand its digital presence. Its headcount exceeded 18,000 in Q3 2022 but has since come down to fewer than 15,000 workers as of May 1.
“As we continue to chart our path forward, we're on a mission to be fit, fast, and focused in order to win now and to be ready for the eventual freight market rebound,” Bozeman said on a Q1 earnings call at the beginning of May.
Rajan said he’s deeply committed to continuous improvement for the business and noted opportunities in the “constantly evolving external landscape.”
