Executive Profile · Dallas, Texas

Steven
Riley Williams

Chief Information Officer · Chief Technology Officer · AI Executive

Board-level technology executive who partners with CEOs, directors, and private equity sponsors to turn technology into a measurable growth engine — across franchise scale-up, M&A integration, NYSE IPOs, and enterprise transformation.

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6×
Store growth led at
Buff City Soap
5×
eCommerce revenue
increase, 2021–2025
$15M
IT OpEx reduction
in Year 1 at Stage Stores
$5B+
Boot Barn market cap —
still running on SRW tech
Retail AI Council · Board
CIO Magazine · Editorial Board
RILA Technology Council
Career History

Where Results Were Built

2021 — Present
Buff City Soap
Dallas, TX
Chief Technology Officer
Recruited by the Board to architect the technology foundation for one of the fastest-growing franchise and CPG brands in the beauty category.
Buff City Soap is a franchised multi-unit retailer and consumer products brand specializing in artisanal, plant-based beauty products. Since joining as a founding executive team member, the company has achieved explosive growth — and the technology infrastructure built to support it has scaled every step of the way. Deployed a cloud-native, fully matrixed architecture supporting both franchise operations and direct-to-consumer eCommerce, establishing Buff as the category's dominant and fastest-growing player.
6× store growth 5× eCommerce revenue Cloud-native architecture Full security & compliance org
2017 — 2020
Specialty Retailers, Inc.
(Stage Stores)
Houston, TX
EVP, Chief Information Officer & Chief Supply Chain Officer
Dual executive mandate — CIO and Chief Supply Chain Officer — for a $1.7B public retailer operating nearly 800 stores across six nameplates.
Joined to modernize a sprawling technology footprint and realign supply chain operations for a business in active transformation. Led a full-scale IT restructuring, achieved zero cybersecurity incidents across the tenure, and retooled logistics operations to support a pivot to an off-price retail model. Eliminated seven-plus years of accumulated audit deficiencies within the first year while simultaneously reducing costs.
$15M+ IT OpEx reduction, Year 1 Zero security incidents 7+ yrs audit deficiencies resolved
2012 — 2017
Boot Barn, Inc.
Irvine, CA
Chief Information Officer & Head of Supply Chain
Executive team member guiding the nation's leading western lifestyle retailer through its most consequential growth chapter — from regional operator to NYSE-listed national brand.
Joined to build the technology foundation for aggressive growth. Over five years, led three brick-and-mortar acquisitions, one pure-play eCommerce acquisition, and the company's 2014 NYSE IPO. Expanded from one eCommerce website to three national brands, scaled stores from 80 to 220+, and grew revenue from $140MM to $650MM+. Also absorbed leadership of supply chain and merchandise planning, ensuring complete alignment between technology and business objectives. The infrastructure built during this tenure remains in production today — powering a company now valued at over $5 billion.
NYSE IPO · 2014 4 acquisitions integrated $140M → $650M+ revenue 80 → 220+ stores $5B+ market cap on SRW infrastructure
Early Career
Multiple Organizations
United States, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America
Progressive Technology Leadership in Retail
A series of increasingly senior CIO and technology leadership roles across retail and consumer brands — building the enterprise systems, store operations, and infrastructure foundation that underpins the executive career above.
Notable tenure as SVP & CIO at Mattress Giant / Mattress Firm, spanning 5× store growth, three private equity ownership transitions, multiple major acquisitions, and co-leading the eventual sale of the company to Mattress Firm — followed by managing full integration into the combined 1,000+ store chain. Progressed from hands-on technical roles to executive leadership reporting to the CEO, establishing a consistent pattern of aligning technology investment with business growth objectives.
5× store growth 3 PE ownership transitions 10 DCs nationwide Co-led company sale to Mattress Firm
AI & Emerging Technology

Not a Spectator in the AI Revolution

AI fluency isn't a line on the resume — it's operational. From board-level governance to platform deployment, the work here is real and ongoing.

◈
Board Governance
Serving on the Retail AI Council Board — guiding retailers and consumer brands in navigating AI adoption, evaluating emerging capabilities, and building responsible deployment frameworks.
◇
Operational Deployment
Hands-on experience deploying AI platforms in production retail environments — integrating AI-enabled analytics with enterprise data platforms and building measurable business outcomes.
Azure OpenAI Claude Copilot ChatGPT Enterprise Snowflake Databricks
◉
Thought Leadership
Contributing writer and Editorial Advisory Board member at CIO Magazine. Frequent panelist and keynote speaker at retail technology forums, conferences, and executive roundtables.
Core Capabilities

Where the Expertise Lives

01
PE & Board-Aligned Strategy
Technology investment decisions framed around enterprise value, exit readiness, and shareholder return — not just IT metrics.
02
M&A Integration
Integrated eight-plus acquisitions across four companies. From due diligence to Day 1 operations to full harmonization.
03
Franchise & Omni-Channel Scale
Deep experience building the technology backbone for high-velocity franchise expansion alongside multi-channel digital commerce.
04
ERP & Platform Modernization
End-to-end ERP transformation experience across NetSuite, Dynamics 365, Epicor/Aptos, and Manhattan — from selection through go-live.
05
Cybersecurity & Risk Maturity
Built security organizations from the ground up. Zero security incidents across two consecutive CIO tenures. NIST-aligned frameworks.
06
Team Building & Leadership
Consistent record of building high-performance technology organizations — and developing the next generation of leaders within them.
Recognition & Thought Leadership

Industry Standing

Retail Touchpoints
Retail Innovator of the Year
Society for Information Management
DFW IT Executive of the Year
Executive Technology Magazine
CIO Leadership & Innovation Award
CIO Magazine / CIO.com
Contributing writer and member of the Editorial Advisory Board. Published author on technology strategy, AI adoption, and retail digital transformation.
Retail AI Council
Board Member. Guides retailers and consumer brands in navigating AI strategy, governance, and responsible deployment at scale.
RILA Technology Council
Founding Member of the Retail Industry Leaders Association Technology Council — shaping industry-wide technology strategy and standards.
Speaking & Events
Frequent panelist and speaker at executive forums, retail technology conferences, and industry roundtables across the U.S.
Contact

Let's Have a Conversation

Available for CIO / CTO engagements, board advisory, and executive consulting.

srwjr2492@gmail.com LinkedIn Profile Download Resume