Executive Profile
Morris Stern
VP of Retail Technology · Winnipeg, Manitoba
Technology executive with 15+ years leading large-scale programs across retail, healthcare, and enterprise, including the post-acquisition conversion of 265 stores onto a single retail platform in nine months. Focused on VP of Technology, CTO, CIO, and Chief Digital Officer mandates. Based in Winnipeg, open to remote and hybrid across Canada and the US.
- 15+
- Years of executive technology leadership
- 265
- Stores converted to one platform in 9 months
- ~$3B
- Combined network revenue
- 50+
- Concurrent capital projects directed
Executive summary
Morris Stern is a technology executive with 15+ years of direct accountability for enterprise systems, large program delivery, and team leadership across North American retail, healthcare, and manufacturing. The defining program of his recent career: when Ashley Global Retail acquired Dufresne Spencer Group, the buyer standardized on the retail platform built under his leadership and retained him to lead the conversion of both retail estates onto it. 265 stores, three legal entities, 3,000+ users, roughly $3B in revenue, plus a new data center build, delivered in nine months, on time and on budget.
As VP of Retail Systems at The Dufresne Group (Feb 2023 – Nov 2025), Morris led retail systems and ERP across a three-banner, cross-border platform spanning 184 locations and roughly $1.2B in revenue. He delivered chain-wide mobile POS on a new store tablet fleet, a 50,000-unit Vusion ESL rollout at near-100% pricing accuracy, STORIS ERP stabilization that cut incidents by more than 40%, and a payments rebuild producing $500K+ in annual savings. He also led the sell-side technology workstream for the divestiture, so he has operated both sides of the same transaction, from diligence through integration. He continues as VP of Retail Technology at Ashley Global Retail, working remotely from Winnipeg.
Prior to retail, Morris directed a $25M ICT capital portfolio within Manitoba’s $1B provincial healthcare program for Shared Health: 50+ concurrent projects and two new-build hospitals in a regulated, audit-intensive environment, generating roughly $3M in annual savings. That public-sector delivery discipline still shapes how he runs complex programs.
A lifelong Winnipegger, Morris is refocusing on the Manitoba market after several years of cross-border work. He also takes on select advisory engagements through Stern Technology Advisory.
Career highlights
Vice President, Retail Technology
Ashley Global Retail
Retained by the acquirer following the Dufresne Spencer Group acquisition. The buyer standardized on the retail platform built under Morris's leadership and asked him to lead the enterprise conversion: two retail estates and a new data center build onto one surviving platform, 265 stores, three legal entities, 3,000+ users, roughly $3B in revenue, delivered in nine months, on time and on budget. Holds enterprise go/no-go authority and final technical escalation across the combined network; governs the network-wide ESL and pricing-integrity program (86,000 units live, scaling toward 169,000); led enterprise PIM strategy and selection. Works remotely from Winnipeg.
Vice President of Retail Systems
The Dufresne Group
Led retail systems and ERP across a three-banner, cross-border platform (Dufresne Furniture & Appliances, Ashley Canada, Dufresne Spencer Group): 184 locations and roughly $1.2B in revenue. Built and hardened the retail platform that became the surviving system for the combined 265-store network, and led the sell-side technology workstream for the divestiture. Key programs: STORIS ERP stabilization (incidents down 40%+), chain-wide mobile POS on a new store tablet fleet (device costs down 50%+), a 50,000-unit Vusion ESL rollout at near-100% pricing accuracy, a payments rebuild ($500K+ annual savings), and consolidation strategy for 11+ associate systems into a single mobile experience.
Program Director, ICT Capital Projects
Daemon Defense Systems · Shared Health
Directed a $25M ICT capital portfolio within Manitoba's $1B provincial healthcare program: 50+ concurrent projects and 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 generated roughly $3M in annual 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 (Silver Jeans Co., Jag Jeans): infrastructure, security, enterprise applications, data and BI, and service delivery. Built the DTC channel to $1M+, originated a marketplace program creating $2M+ in new revenue, established the foundation for $20M in B2B and ecommerce growth, led an organization-wide Office 365 conversion, and reduced IT costs by more than 30% on a $1M+ budget. Promoted through four roles from ERP Specialist over eight years.
Full career history available on LinkedIn.
Functional expertise
Deep hands-on experience across four interconnected domains.
Retail Technology
- POS modernization & chain-wide rollouts
- Electronic shelf labels & digital price tags
- Mobile checkout & line-busting
- Omnichannel & unified commerce architecture
- M&A store technology integration
- Payments infrastructure & PCI DSS
Enterprise Programs
- ERP selection, roadmap & migration oversight
- Retail technology assessment & roadmap development
- Enterprise architecture & API-first integration
- Data governance & master data strategy
- Delivery governance & transformation oversight
- Capital IT program management (50+ concurrent projects)
- Vendor evaluation & contract management
Strategy & Leadership
- Technology roadmap development (1–3 year)
- Executive-level stakeholder communication
- IT team building, hiring & capability development
- Platform strategy & operating model design
- AI adoption governance
- Private equity technology due diligence
Org & Change
- Organizational readiness assessment
- Change management & adoption programs
- Training strategy & floor readiness
- Multi-stakeholder alignment & governance cadences
- Go/no-go readiness frameworks
- Cross-functional program leadership
Industries served
Mandates
VP of Technology, CTO, CIO, and Chief Digital Officer roles in organizations that run on systems they cannot afford to break: retail, insurance, utilities, financial services, gaming, manufacturing, healthcare, and distribution. 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.
What colleagues say
From clients, direct reports, and executives who have worked with Morris.
“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 Tech Expert
Morris delivered 200+ store digitalization projects as a client engagement
“Morris is someone that will succeed in whatever he puts his mind to. He has the rare talent of getting people motivated to work toward a common goal even when he doesn't have direct authority over them. If presented with a need to hire an analyst or manager in the future, Morris would be the first person I would call.”
Gil Garcia
Senior Advisor, Corporate Strategy — Industrial Technological Benefits
Managed Morris directly
“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