Australia’s biggest pet and vet network Greencross names new CIO

Australia’s largest pet consortium, Greencross, has appointed Christina (Chris) Gava as its new chief information officer to take control of its tech ecosystem that spans across its network of 230 pet stores and vet clinics.

Gava will be the first CIO at the pet and vet giant, which operates brands including Petbarn, New Zealand sibling Animates and more than 160 vet clinics, animal pathology labs and pet crematoria on either side of the ditch.

Gava comes into the role after two years as the general manager of IT for the ASX-listed Specialty Fashion Group, which operates the City Chic retail brand and recently divested brands including Katies and Rivers to Noni B.

As head of technology at Specialty, Gava oversaw the group’s retail systems and services, digital platforms and corporate services and developed digital ecosystems for its prior to them being sold off in May this year.

Gava also spent two years as CIO at EziBuy, which at the time also handled Big W’s online shopping platforms as both were owned by Woolworths.

Prior to Woolworths’ acquisition of EziBuy, Gava served as head of corporate IT at the supermarket giant for a little over a year.

Greencross CEO Simon Hickey welcomed Gava’s entry to the senior management team at the group in a statement to the ASX.

“Chris is a great addition to our team and brings a wealth of retail and professional services experience to Greencross.

“Chris will play a critical role in our business as we continue to develop and roll out our omnichannel customer strategy, as well as managing our technology platforms in a digital world,” he added.