Lululemon Ranju Das departure leaves technology chief role open before CEO change

Lululemon has confirmed the departure of Ranju Das, its chief AI and technology officer, less than a year after he joined the athletic-apparel retailer. The Lululemon Ranju Das departure leaves the company running a global search for a technology leader less than a month before incoming CEO Heidi O’Neill is due to take office on Sept. 8.

A Lululemon spokesperson told CIO Dive that Das had left the company and that its existing technology teams would continue working on company priorities. The spokesperson did not name an interim leader or successor. A securities filing listed Das’s departure date as Thursday, according to CIO Dive.

Das arrived at Lululemon less than a year ago to lead the technology organization, with a mandate that included improving product innovation and speed, CIO Dive reported. The company has not stated publicly in its response to CIO Dive why he left. It also did not answer the publication’s question about whether his exit was related to the reported departure of Chief Strategy Officer Rachel Acheson.

Who is replacing Ranju Das at Lululemon?

Lululemon has not announced a replacement. The company said it is conducting a global search for its next technology leader and expressed confidence in the current technology teams. No further detail on the selection process was provided in the statement to CIO Dive.

The vacancy arrives during a broader CEO handover. O’Neill, a longtime Nike executive, is scheduled to start on Sept. 8, according to Business of Fashion, which republished Bloomberg reporting. Her appointment follows the exit of former CEO Calvin McDonald, who stepped down in January and remained a senior adviser through March, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Acheson’s exit has been reported by Bloomberg and Business of Fashion, citing a person familiar with the matter, but Lululemon did not confirm the move to CIO Dive. Acheson had spent more than 14 years at the company, Business of Fashion reported. The distinction matters: Das’s departure and the technology-leader search are confirmed by Lululemon, while Acheson’s status remains externally reported rather than confirmed by the retailer.

BNP Paribas Equity Research senior analyst Laurent Vasilescu said in a Friday note that the firm was increasingly concerned about executive turnover, given the two departures before O’Neill’s start. He said BNP Paribas expected there could be further employee turnover in coming months. That is an analyst assessment, not a forecast adopted by Lululemon.

For operators and technology vendors, the immediate operational fact is narrower: Lululemon is recruiting for the executive responsible for its technology organization while a new CEO prepares to take over. The company has said its current teams will continue delivering on priorities, but it has not identified who will hold the top technology post next.

This story draws on original reporting from CIO Dive.