Executive Profile
Morris Stern
Technology Executive and Advisor · Winnipeg, Manitoba
15+ years leading ERP, M&A integration, retail systems, payments, and major transformation programs across Canada and the United States. Most recently Vice President of Retail Technology. Focused on permanent executive mandates, Winnipeg and Manitoba first, with remote and hybrid arrangements across Canada and the US.
- 15+
- Years of executive technology leadership
- 50+
- Concurrent capital projects directed
- 2
- Countries of operating accountability
Executive summary
Morris Stern is a technology executive with 15+ years of direct accountability for enterprise systems, large program delivery, vendor governance, and team leadership across North American retail, healthcare, and manufacturing. He was most recently Vice President of Retail Technology for a large North American home furnishings retailer, where he led a major post-acquisition platform conversion across a large retail network and directed enterprise platform evaluation and modernization planning. That engagement concluded in July 2026.
As Vice President of Retail Systems at The Dufresne Group from February 2023 to November 2025, he led retail systems and ERP across a multi-banner, cross-border platform in Canada and the United States. He delivered chain-wide mobile point of sale on a new store device fleet, payments modernization with material recurring savings, ERP stabilization that materially reduced incident volume, and a phased shelf-edge pricing program that validated labor efficiency and pricing accuracy before it scaled. He also led the sell-side technology workstream for the divestiture, so he has run both sides of the same transaction, from diligence through integration.
Before retail, Morris directed a multi-million-dollar ICT portfolio across more than 50 concurrent projects inside a provincial healthcare capital program, including two new-build hospitals in a regulated, audit-intensive environment. That public-sector delivery discipline still shapes how he runs complex programs: explicit investment cases, documented decision rights, and governance that survives audit.
A lifelong Winnipegger, Morris is focused on permanent executive leadership mandates, Manitoba first, after several years of cross-border work. He also takes on select advisory work through Stern Technology Advisory.
Career highlights
Vice President, Retail Technology
Ashley Global Retail
Retained by the acquirer following the Dufresne Spencer Group transaction to lead a major post-acquisition platform conversion across a large North American retail network. Accountable for moving two retail estates onto one surviving platform while stores kept trading, and for the enterprise technology governance that held vendors and integrators to a single delivery outcome. Also led enterprise platform evaluation and modernization planning across the combined network, and directed shelf-edge pricing integrity as an operating program. Worked remotely from Winnipeg.
Vice President of Retail Systems
The Dufresne Group
Led retail systems and ERP across a multi-banner, cross-border retail platform in Canada and the United States. Built and hardened the retail platform that later became the surviving system for the combined network, and led the sell-side technology workstream for the divestiture, so both sides of the same transaction were run under his accountability. Programs included ERP stabilization that materially reduced incident volume, chain-wide mobile point of sale on a new store device fleet, payments modernization delivering material recurring savings, a phased shelf-edge pricing rollout, and consolidation of fragmented associate systems into a single mobile experience.
Program Director, ICT Capital Projects
Daemon Defense Systems · Shared Health
Directed a multi-million-dollar ICT portfolio across more than 50 concurrent projects inside a provincial healthcare capital program, including two new-build hospitals in a regulated, audit-intensive environment. Built investment cases, capital plans, and delivery governance through a distributed, fully remote team, and delivered recurring savings through infrastructure and operating-model changes.
Director of Business Solutions (Head of IT)
Western Glove Works
Owned the full technology function for a multi-brand denim manufacturer and wholesaler: infrastructure, security, enterprise applications, data and business intelligence, and service delivery. Launched direct-to-consumer and marketplace channels, established the commerce and reporting foundation the business grew on, led an organization-wide productivity platform conversion, and reduced IT operating cost materially. Promoted through four roles from ERP Specialist over eight years.
Full career history available on LinkedIn.
Functional expertise
Direct accountability across four interconnected domains.
Enterprise Leadership
- Technology function ownership and operating model design
- Executive and board-level stakeholder communication
- Team building, hiring, and capability development
- Financial stewardship of capital and operating budgets
- Commercial judgment on build, buy, and partner decisions
Transformation and Integration
- M&A technology integration and platform conversion
- ERP selection, roadmap, and migration oversight
- Delivery governance and transformation oversight
- Cross-functional program leadership under operating constraints
- Adoption, readiness, and stabilization planning
Platforms and Architecture
- Enterprise and retail systems architecture
- Integration design and master data ownership
- Store systems, point of sale, and payments
- Product data and commerce platform modernization
- AI governance and readiness for operational workflows
Governance and Vendors
- Vendor and systems integrator accountability
- Contract, scope, and commercial governance
- Capital portfolio governance across concurrent projects
- Risk, audit, and regulated-environment delivery
- Readiness gates and go-live decision frameworks
Industries served
Mandates
Permanent executive leadership is the primary path: VP of Technology, CTO, CIO, and Chief Digital Officer roles in organizations that run on systems they cannot afford to break. The strongest fit is an organization mid-transformation, post-acquisition, or preparing for either, where the technology function needs an executive who has run the conversion, not just planned one.
Winnipeg and Manitoba first. Remote and hybrid arrangements across Canada and the United States also work; the last several years of cross-border leadership were run from Winnipeg.
Select advisory work is secondary and runs through Stern Technology Advisory.
What colleagues say
From executives and peers who have worked with Morris directly.
“Driving complex projects in a simple and structured way is one of his greatest strengths. Morris is a real team motivator, never afraid to take important actions for the benefit of the company. He is committed to achieving excellent results while fostering collaboration and demonstrating a strong sense of availability.”
Andrea Ruffato
Retail technology leader
“Morris' ability to learn, adapt to, and understand systems and processes has never ceased to amaze me. He's been able to get into some of the most complex technologies and break them down in order to improve and streamline them. I've also seen first-hand how he can break strategy down into actionable plans and see them through to execution.”
Mike G. Girardin
Director of E-Commerce, Western Glove Works
Worked with Morris across multiple roles over 7 years
Additional recommendations available on LinkedIn.
Leadership approach
Clarity before complexity
Define the outcome and constraints before recommending a path. Technology decisions made without operational grounding are expensive to unwind.
Build teams that don't depend on you
The measure of good leadership is what the team can execute after you step back. Mentorship, clear accountability, and a culture of informed decision-making compound over time.
Governance that respects operations
Program delivery should be designed around real business constraints — seasonal peaks, store hours, clinical uptime — not just project timelines. Adoption is part of delivery.
Honest tradeoffs over comfortable recommendations
Every architecture, platform, or vendor choice involves tradeoffs. Leaders deserve to understand the real options, not just the path of least resistance.
Reach out
If you are running an executive search for a VP of Technology, CTO, CIO, or Chief Digital Officer mandate, or you want to explore whether this is a fit, reach out. No gatekeepers; direct line to Morris.
Prefer email? morris@sterntechadvisory.com