Executive Profile
Morris Stern
VP Technology · CTO · Senior Technology Executive
Senior technology executive with 15+ years leading large-scale modernization programs across retail, healthcare, and enterprise. Available for permanent, fractional, and advisory executive roles. Based in Winnipeg — open to remote and hybrid across Canada and the US.
- 15+
- Years of executive technology leadership
- 300+
- Store deployments led
- ~$3B
- Revenue operations supported
- $10M+
- Cumulative program savings
Executive summary
Morris Stern is a senior technology executive with deep experience building and leading technology functions at the intersection of strategy and operations. His career spans VP-level executive roles at North American retail and healthcare organizations, with direct accountability for enterprise-wide technology modernization, large program delivery, and team leadership.
As VP of Retail Systems at The Dufresne Group (Feb 2023 – Nov 2025), Morris led technology strategy across 300+ store locations and ~$3B in annual revenue operations — delivering chain-wide mobile POS modernization, Vusion ESL deployments, STORIS ERP stabilization, and a payments overhaul that produced $500K+ in annual savings. He is currently serving as VP of Retail Technology at Ashley Global Retail on a contract basis.
Prior to retail, Morris directed ICT capital programs for Shared Health — Manitoba's provincial health authority — managing 50+ concurrent technology projects spanning clinical systems, network infrastructure, and digital health, developing the governance discipline that now shapes how every complex engagement is structured.
Since founding Stern Technology Advisory in 2020, Morris has served mid-market and enterprise clients across retail, healthcare, and manufacturing. He is selectively open to permanent and fractional executive roles where technology leadership is the mandate.
Career highlights
VP of Retail Technology
Ashley Global Retail (Contract)
Currently serving as VP of Retail Technology on a contract basis for Ashley Global Retail, one of the largest furniture and home goods retailers in North America. Driving retail technology strategy and systems across a major multi-brand operation, remote from Winnipeg.
Principal Consultant & Founder
Stern Technology Advisory
Independent advisory practice serving mid-market and enterprise clients across retail, healthcare, and manufacturing. Engagements spanning ERP strategy and vendor selection (STORIS, Epicor, NetSuite), mobile POS architecture and rollout planning, digital pricing and ESL implementation roadmaps, payments optimization, M&A technology due diligence, and fractional CTO engagements for PE portfolio companies.
Vice President of Retail Systems
The Dufresne Group
Led retail technology strategy and enterprise systems across multi-brand operations spanning 300+ locations in Canada and the US, with responsibility for ~$3B in revenue operations. Key programs: STORIS ERP stabilization (40%+ incident reduction), chain-wide mobile POS rollout (Samsung Tab Active 4, e-signature, 3DS payments), Vusion ESL deployment (near-100% pricing accuracy), payments modernization ($500K+ annual savings), and M&A store integration playbooks (50% faster onboarding). $10M+ cumulative program impact.
Program Director, ICT Capital Projects
Daemon Defense Systems · Shared Health
Directed ICT capital infrastructure programs for Shared Health — the provincial health authority for Manitoba — across all hospitals and health regions. Led 50+ concurrent projects spanning digital refresh, clinical systems, network infrastructure, and new construction. Responsible for project managers, engineers, and support specialists in a complex public-sector environment.
Director of Business Solutions (IT)
Western Glove Works
Owned IT, business intelligence, and transformation initiatives for a North American denim manufacturer (Silver Jeans Co., Jag Jeans). Built executive-grade forecasting and BI dashboards (20%+ inventory reduction), led ERP deployments and Office 365 migration, negotiated managed services with KPI-driven SLAs (30%+ cost reduction), and scaled DTC e-commerce to $1M+ annually while building B2B marketplace foundations (Amazon, Walmart.com) that supported $20M in incremental growth. Grew from ERP Specialist through multiple promotions over 8 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
- 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
Roles that fit
Open to permanent, fractional, and advisory executive positions across Canada and the United States.
VP Technology / VP IT
Strong fitRetail, healthcare, manufacturing, or CPG
Chief Technology Officer
Strong fitMid-market or scale-up, $50M–$1B revenue
Chief Digital Officer
Strong fitTransformation mandate, omnichannel or platform build
Director of Technology
Good fitSystems, architecture, or enterprise transformation
Fractional CTO / Advisory
Strong fitPE-backed, growth-stage, or interim leadership need
Technology Due Diligence
Good fitPrivate equity, M&A, and investor engagements
Location & availability
Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Open to remote and hybrid arrangements across Canada and the United States. Current consulting engagements accommodated for the right permanent opportunity.
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 working on an executive search for a VP Technology, CTO, or adjacent leadership role — or if you want to explore whether this is a fit — reach out directly. No recruiters, no gatekeepers.
Prefer email? morris@sterntechadvisory.com