Job Title : Group IS director

Organization : Home Retail Group

Pete Connor is group IS director for Home Retail Group (HRG), where he heads up technology strategy for more than 1,000 Argos and Homebase stores, along with the company’s inhouse financial services business.

He has been IS director of HRG since 2006, when the group was created after its businesses demerged from Great Universal Stores. Connor joined Argos back in 1997 – and was appointed IS director soon afterwards.

This year the Argos.co.uk website grew to represent more than a third, 36 per cent, of Argos’ sales, up from 33 per cent a year earlier – with growth being driven by store collections of online reservations. At the start of this year the website also added the option of PayPal payments for customers. Meanwhile, the Argos iPhone app, launched in mid-2010, has been downloaded 1.3 million times.

The Homebase website now has more than 30,000 products online, helping to boost online customer satisfaction ratings.

Connor started his career with software house CAP where he was trained in information systems, before moving to Mars Group Service for five years. He then joined Coca-Cola Schweppes, holding a number of senior systems roles.

Connor made the CIO50 list in 2010, when he was ranked 10th in the top 50.