Dollar Tree names new CIO amid C-suite shift

Chesapeake-based Fortune 500 discount retailer Dollar Tree on Thursday announced that it has hired Bobby Aflatooni, executive vice president and chief information officer for real estate developer The Howard Hughes Corp., as its CIO.

The hire comes less than a month after Dollar Tree Stores, Inc., which also owns the Family Dollar chain, announced a shakeup of its C-suite, including now-former CIO Andy Paisley.

“Bobby is a proven leader with a strong track record of delivering results and leading multiple system transformations,” Dollar Tree President and CEO Mike Witynski said in a statement. “The technology investments we will make over the next several years will be critical to our success as we enable our people, simplify work streams and accelerate our growth.”

Aflatooni joined Texas-based Howard Hughes Corp. in 2018, coming from Tennessee-based Dollar Tree competitor Dollar General Corp., where he worked more than nine years in information technology. He was promoted to vice president of IT supply chain and operations at Dollar General in 2017.

Aflatooni also worked in development and oversight of IT priorities for Yum! Brands, CapitalOne Auto Finance, LayerOne, Silverleaf Resorts and CapitalOne Services, and served in the Marine Corps, according to a news release.

“Our team will be driven to focus on systems infrastructure enhancements to support the company’s growth by providing better support to store associates, merchandising and marketing teams, and our supply chain to deliver improved shopper experience,” Aflatooni said in a statement. “Having worked with, and supported, a number of leaders at Dollar Tree in previous roles will enable us to hit the ground running.”

In December 2021, activist investment firm Mantle Ridge, which owns a $1.8 billion stake in Dollar Tree, sought to overhaul Dollar Tree’s board and hire the former CEO of rival retailer Dollar General Corp., Reuters reported. Dollar Tree Board Chair Rick Dreiling was CEO of Dollar General from 2008 until his retirement in June 2015, and served as Dollar General’s chairman until 2016.

Dollar Tree is seeking permanent replacements for its chief operating officer, chief strategy officer, chief financial officer and chief legal officer.

“This is the first of a number of executive additions related to our recently announced leadership changes, as we scale our leadership team to accelerate the growth and transformation of our company,” Witynski said.

Dollar Tree also announced that it was moving its previously announced investor day from October 2022 until spring 2023.