Cedric Vanzura leaves Borders

The chief architect of Borders’ emerging e-commerce strategy is looking for a new job.

Borders Group Inc. has announced that chief strategy officer Cedric Vanzura has resigned his position. Vanzura, Border’s executive vice president for emerging business and technology, will leave the company by September as more technology duties are shifted to Susan Harwood, the company’s incoming chief information officer.

She joins Borders from Books-A-Million Inc., No. 251 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, where she served as vice president of information technology. She also has worked as the CIO of Crown Books Inc.

Vanzura is leaving because the company’s strategic plan is complete and now is being implemented by various business units within Borders, says CEO George Jones. Borders’ vice president of e-business Kevin Ertell is overseeing the launch of the company’s new e-commerce site in early 2008.

Vanzura was named executive vice president of emerging businesses and technology, and chief strategy officer in August 2006. He was responsible for addressing emerging business opportunities, leading current and future strategic alliances and heading up Borders’ technology development. He was also in charge of Borders’ global Paperchase gifts and stationery business, which includes 90 stores in the United Kingdom, as well as Paperchase shops in more than 100 Borders stores. Prior to being named chief strategy officer, Vanzura was president, Borders Group International.

As chief strategy officer, Vanzura helped to develop Borders’ emerging web strategy. Starting early next year, Borders will no longer use Amazon.com as its main e-commerce channel. In addition to a new e-commerce site, the retailer is installing more interactive and web-enabled computer stations that Borders calls “digital media centers” in its network of more than 1,200 stores and plans to make more use of social networking.