J.C. Penney taps chief information officer to oversee e-commerce

Thomas Nealon, group executive vice president

J.C. Penney Co. Inc. has appointed chief information officer Thomas Nealon as group executive vice president.  In his new job he takes over leadership of JCP.com, the retailer’s e-commerce site.

In 2009, JCP.com reported $1.5 billion in web sales, or 8.5% of total company sales.

J.C. Penney is No. 16 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide.

Nealon joined J.C. Penney as chief information officer in 2006. He will keep that job’s responsibilities for information technology, corporate strategy and the company’s digital ventures organization. He reports to Myron E. Ullman III, company chairman and CEO.

 “We are fortunate to have outstanding leadership talent in place as we work to achieve J.C. Penney’s vision of being America’s favorite shopping destination and industry growth leader,” Ullman says.

Nealon in June said he wants to expand the retailer’s web business over the next four to five years and generate $1 billion in new revenue from JCP.com.

To help reach that goal, the company plans to expand its social media and mobile commerce platforms.

Before joining J.C. Penney, Nealon worked as chief information officer at Southwest Airlines and Frito-Lay Inc.