Party supply and novelty retailer Oriental Trading Company Inc. has hired e-commerce veteran Sam Taylor as its new CEO effective May 5.
Taylor joins Oriental from Hewlett-Packard Company, where he oversaw the HP.com web site and the firm’s global direct-to-consumer business. Before that, Taylor was senior vice president, online stores and marketing for Best Buy Co. Inc. Taylor also has worked at Lands’ End, managing the clothing retailers’ e-commerce and international divisions, The Walt Disney Company and consulting firm Bain and Company. Oriental ranks No. 45, Best Buy ranks No. 11 and Hewlett-Packard No. 62 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide.
Oriental began as a catalog company but now gets more than half its business through its web site. Taylor says he hopes to grow that figure. “I want to transform Oriental from a traditional catalog company to something truly driven by the Internet,” Taylor says. “I get excited by the idea of transforming a company.”
Taylor hopes to boost online business through Web 2.0 technologies such as social networking, he believes he’ll have more opportunities to explore such initiatives than he has in the past.
“Working for a smaller more, entrepreneurial company, I think I’ll be able to make positive changes quickly, and that’s different from large companies-especially on the e-commerce side.” Oriental will be the first company Taylor has worked for that is privately owned.
“We are delighted to welcome Sam as Oriental Trading Company’s new CEO. Sam’s extensive e-commerce experience and track record will be a great asset as we continue to build upon our strong brand heritage by delivering quality products to our customers,” says Sandra Horbach, chairman of the board of Oriental Trading Company.
Oriental Trading Company Inc. has 3,000 employees and sells more than 30,000 products to businesses, not-for-profit organizations, individuals, schools, churches and teachers through www.orientaltrading.com, and its catalog.
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