Guitar Center, the world’s largest omni-channel musical instrument retailer, announces the appointment of Adolfo Rodriguez as Executive Vice President, Chief Technology & Information Officer, effective immediately. Rodriguez joins Guitar Center with over 25 years of experience in technology transformation, with an emphasis on Fortune 500 retail enterprises. In his new role, Rodriguez will be responsible for the end-to-end technology vision and execution for the company, while leveraging disruptive technologies to reimagine the customer experience. Rodriguez will report directly to CEO Gabe Dalporto.“Adolfo’s extensive experience and exceptional ability to harness emerging technologies make him a phenomenal addition to Guitar Center as we forge ahead with our transformation,” said Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto. “His expertise in core retail systems and processes and his passion for transforming the customer experience make him a perfect fit at Guitar Center. We are confident that under his leadership, we will reach new heights and deliver groundbreaking solutions to our customers.”
Before joining Guitar Center, Rodriguez most recently served at Advance Auto Parts, where he spearheaded innovative technological advancements across various functions, including e-commerce, stores, merchandising, inventory, pricing, and supply chain. Previously, Rodriguez held senior leadership positions at Citrix and IBM. At Citrix, he led a cross-functional team responsible for the platform, business systems, and essential tools and features for cloud services and products. At IBM, he ascended through multiple roles to become the CTO of his product group. In this role he drove the charge to the cloud and provided technical, business, and talent leadership for a team of more than 350 engineers.
“I am thrilled to join Guitar Center at such a pivotal time in its history,” said Rodriguez. “As a passionate musician and advocate for leveraging technology to drive business growth, I am eager to blend my professional expertise with my personal experience. I look forward to evolving Guitar Center’s customer engagement and workplace processes through technology.”
A musician and a humanitarian, Rodriguez co-founded Mind the Gap, a rock band dedicated to performing exclusively at charity events. The group’s mission is to raise funds and awareness for various worthy causes. To date, they have raised nearly $250,000, benefiting over 15 different non-profit organizations.
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