(US and Canada) Genesco, Inc. has appointed Deval Motka as Vice President and Chief Data Officer of its footwear-focused, Nashville-based specialty retailer and branded company with more than 1,400 stores throughout the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

Motka brings to Genesco 22 years of combined expertise in data analytics and product engineering. She has experience working in the manufacturing, insurance, and financial sectors. She is a firm believer in leveraging knowledge from one industry to another because they are all trying to solve similar problems. In order to get the greatest performance out of herself and her employees, Motka also believes in the power of teamwork and the use of tough love.

Prior to Genesco, Motka was the Vice President of Rocket Data at Rocket Companies. In that role, Motka led cross-functional teams responsible for data product development, allowing confident decision making and frictionless client experiences.

“As a runner and a mother of almost teenagers, I am always in the market for shoes. As a data leader, I am always excited about driving business with data. Nothing better than combining passion for shoes and data!” said Motka in her LinkedIn post. “I am excited to join and help accelerate our retail and brand strategy across all of our channels through data intelligence. Think of us when you think about Converse, Vans, Crocs, Birkenstock, Adidas, UGG for teens or the iconic Johnston Murphy for men and more!”

Deval Motka is also a member of the CDO Magazine Global Editorial Board.