Building materials distributor and technology platform QXO appointed Ashwin Rao as its Chief AI Officer, effective immediately.

Rao has over 30 years of experience as an innovation leader, combining technical expertise with strong commercial instincts.

From 2016 to 2022, he was Target Corporation’s first head of AI, leading a team that developed models for pricing, merchandising, customer experience, supply chain logistics and more. A QXO spokesperson told MDM that Rao was hired by Target to build the company’s AI function, revitalizing its supply chain and transforming the product recommendation engine, which generated billions in revenue.

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“Artificial intelligence will permeate everything we do at QXO, including demand forecasting, inventory management and e-commerce,” QXO Chairman and CEO Brad Jacobs said in a Nov. 7 news release. “Ashwin is recognized as one of the brightest minds in enterprise AI. He will be instrumental in making QXO the most tech-forward company in the industry.”

The QXO spokesperson said Rao will build a team of approximately two dozen data scientists in Palo Alto, CA to optimize route planning, warehouse robotics and supply chain management, using AI to ensure on-time, complete and accurate orders for contractors and homebuilders.

“The opportunities to use AI to transform the building products distribution industry are endless,” Rao added. “I’m excited to get started on dozens of AI workstreams that, combined with advantages of scale, will help QXO increase efficiency, optimize supply chains and add value for our customers.”

Rao’s career began on Wall Street as a derivatives trading quant strategist with Goldman Sachs and later as managing director of market modeling for Morgan Stanley.

QXO launched at the end of 2023 and debuted its leadership team this past spring.

More from QXO:

• QXO Finalizes Leadership Team, Launches Investment (June)
• Building Materials Distributor QXO Appoints CFO (May)