Lisa Nichols interviews Harsha Bellur, CIO of James Avery Jewelry, revealing the secrets to his success in tech and leadership. Harsha shares how growing up in India and working in his father’s iron and steel business from a young age shaped his entrepreneurial mindset and approach to customer relationships. This episode is a masterclass in turning timeless business principles into a thriving career!
Bio: Harsha Bellur is an award-winning CIO, board member, and technology and business executive with over 25 years of experience and a strong record of informing and influencing business strategies to ensure growth. As a leader, he excels in developing high-performing technology teams that enhance business performance via customer-centric solutions, data insights, and agility, helping companies achieve growth.
Having grown up working in his father’s factory, Harsha learned early to adopt a business mindset and entrepreneurial spirit. He effectively balances business value, cost management, and risk appetite, leveraging technology as strategic assets. His innovative approach drives efficiency, cost savings, and new revenue opportunities, embodying continuous improvement and forward-thinking leadership. Harsha is a prominent technology and business leader with a broad background in retail, manufacturing, finance, and consumer packaged goods (CPG)/food service. He excels in multi-unit retail operations, digital marketing, product commercialization, customer service, supply chain management, and customer loyalty. He is adept at overseeing operations and strategy, business process management, regulatory compliance, cloud computing, AI and cybersecurity.
He serves as a Board Member and President of SIM Austin, where he connects technology leaders with philanthropic initiatives. Harsha is Co-Chair of the Industry Advisory Council for the Austin Community College Continuing Education program. He serves as an Innovation Advisory Council Member at Vation Ventures, advising early-stage companies.
As Executive Vice President and CIO with James Avery Jewelry, a 70-year-old, vertically integrated, multi-channel retailer with over 130 company-owned stores and 300 wholesale locations, Harsha has transformed the business through technology and led digital integration, achieving a 4X growth in ten years. Leveraging technology as the company’s competitive advantage, he enabled exceptional customer experiences and optimized operations, resulting in a significant increase in online revenue from 15% to over 40%, and a 50% reduction in manufacturing lead time. Harsha’s strategic initiatives, including partnerships with Dillard’s and implementing a consolidated customer data platform, improved marketing efficiency by 50% and expanded the company’s market reach. He has led $50M in technology spend and is recognized for maintaining team attrition rates below 5% and an NPS of over 90%. Through his innovation, he ensured James Avery’s acknowledgment by Newsweek for exceptional customer experience.
Previously Harsha served as VP of Information Technology (effectively the CIO) with AMF Bowling Centers, Inc., overseeing the transformation of the company’s technology landscape. With a focus on digital innovation, Harsha led initiatives to upgrade facilities and enhance customer experiences across 300 locations, transitioning from traditional bowling alleys to family entertainment centers. Under his leadership, the IT department underwent a significant turnaround, launched the company’s first branded e-commerce site, implemented digital marketing strategies, and developed a separate high-end brand called “300.” Harsha’s strategic upgrades to core infrastructure resulted in substantial cost savings through controlling $1M in losses and developing operational efficiencies.
He holds an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University, an MS in computer science, and a BA in electronics from the University of Mysore. His contributions to the field have garnered recognition, including the 2023 CIO of the Year – Austin peer community recognition, and selection as a finalist for the 2023 Central Texas ORBIE® Awards. Beyond professional pursuits, Harsha finds fulfillment in mentoring high school students in STEM. He is a lifelong learner, avid traveler, and hiker, and volunteers frequently.
Something Extra: “The blend of strategy and execution or maybe it’s in a kind of a dose of entrepreneurship, I find that to be like a perfect asset, if somebody can bring that to the table.”
