Kathy Persian, Schwan Food Co.
Kathy Persian has been named senior vice-president and chief information officer of The Schwan Food Co.

BLOOMINGTON, MINN. — Kathy Persian has been named senior vice-president and chief information officer of The Schwan Food Co. In her new role, Ms. Persian will be responsible for the strategic direction and execution of the company’s Information Services Department. She also will serve on the company’s executive leadership team.

Ms. Persian has more than 25 years of experience in information delivery, most recently as senior vice-president of business transformation and chief information officer for Sports Authority, where she was responsible for corporate strategy development, the information services team, e-commerce, and enterprise program and process capabilities. Earlier, she held several finance and information technology leadership roles at Supervalu, including chief information officer. She also has held leadership roles at Best Buy.

“I am extremely excited to have someone with Kathy’s broad experience and strong leadership style join our team,” said Dimitrios Smyrnios, chief executive officer. “Her deep knowledge and extensive background in business and information technology will be extremely valuable to our efforts to execute our business plans, grow as a company and enhance service to our customers.”

Ms. Persian received a bachelor’s degree in business management from the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn.