Sven Gerjets Named 2026 Executive of the Year
The Gap Inc. Chief Technology Officer received the honor for his work integrating AI across the retail giant.
Updated on Sept. 22, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
TIME selected Sven Gerjets as a 2026 Executive of the Year for his leadership at Gap Inc. The executive helped oversee the company's multi-year partnership with Google Cloud initiated in 2025.
Why it matters
Gerjets is recognized for his strategy of using AI to enable, optimize, and reinvent internal workflows and customer-facing experiences. This approach aims to streamline product creation and employee tasks through advanced cloud technology.
Gap Inc. has integrated tools including Gemini, Vertex AI, and BigQuery to power predictive fit guidance and conversational checkout. These technologies are applied across product creation, planning, pricing, and marketing functions.
The players
Sven Gerjets
He serves as the Chief Technology Officer of Gap Inc. and leads the company's digital transformation strategy.
Gap Inc.
This American clothing and accessories retailer operates brands including Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Gap.
Google Cloud
This cloud computing service provided by Google offers infrastructure and AI development tools to enterprise clients.
The details
Before enabling AI, Gap Inc. reengineers its work processes by breaking down tasks and redefining ownership to ensure efficiency. The company plans to expand these capabilities by launching new AI shopping assistants for brands including Banana Republic and Old Navy.
Timeline
Gap Inc. formed its multi-year partnership with Google Cloud in 2025.
Sven Gerjets was named Executive of the Year in 2026.
The Tech Race
The adoption of Google Cloud Vertex AI platforms represents a shift from traditional retail software toward generative AI-driven workflows. This positions Gap Inc. among competitors aggressively modernizing their infrastructure to automate consumer-facing features like sizing guidance.
Customers can expect more personalized experiences through features like AI-powered predictive fit guidance when shopping online. These improvements aim to simplify the checkout process and help shoppers find accurately sized items more consistently.
The takeaway
Retailers are increasingly prioritizing the reengineering of internal task ownership as a prerequisite for successful AI adoption. By focusing on process structure before implementation, companies can better scale automated tools across their entire supply chain.
Further reading
For more on how major retailers are adopting new tools, visit the Artificial Intelligence section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by TIME.
