Dennis Mühlenstädt
Strategic Digital Leader | Transformational Change Agent | Driving Global eCommerce Success
Profile
diploma in business informatics
Dennis Mühlenstädt
Sr.Director Digital Experience at Foot Locker
Global Scale and Disproportionate Growth: Over 19 years of experience building and managing high-performing digital teams, structured to deliver globally scalable product services and operational excellence to meet the ever-increasing demands of a fast-growing business.
Agile Strategist: From start-up pioneer to corporate executive, consistently evaluating business roadmaps and adapting to rapidly shifting priorities, keeping the customer at the center of all decisions.
Emphatic Leader: A reliable partner and ally for my team and stakeholders. Gaining energy through an inclusive and collaborative atmosphere, promoting a culture of active listening and respectful communication.
Transformational Change Agent: Proven track record of leading teams through ambiguity and organizational change.
Collaborator and Liaison: Diverse skills and experience, always collaborative, providing creative ideas and inspiration for the organization to think differently and innovate.
Sales of $520M+
(2021 eCommerce EMEA & APAC)
Growth +100%
(EMEA-eCom: 2019 - 2020)
Expanded to 24 countries
(EMEA & APAC)
Budget management up to $12M
(Effective management of large budgets)
Team up to 19 FTE
(Leading a large, distributed team)
Overhaul of eCommerce landscape
(7 countries, 3 Warehouses, 3 languages in 5 months )
Architectural design 11 connected services
(Along the entire customer journey)
Collaboration in global matrix
(Efficiency across countries and timezones)
2 acquisitions and successful integrations
(Leading successful integration projects)
Resume
Resume
Professional Experience
Sr. Director, Digital Experience
Foot Locker EMEA
07.2023 - present
Relocation to the European division, providing technology leadership for EMEA & APAC while leading two US-based product teams with the global remit of “Search / Browse” and “Product / Content.”
- Member of the European Executive Leadership team
- Empowering regional teams in EMEA and APAC to achieve greater autonomy and efficiency in IT operations, in alignment with strategic goals
- Ensuring the successful implementation and regional adoption of complex projects (PIM, OMS, WFM, ERP), fostering a seamless transition, establishing ongoing support structures, and achieving long-term ownership within the region
Search and Browse Focus
Provided a best-in-class, device-independent, intuitive eCommerce Search and Browse experience with a goal of improving customer satisfaction, customer retention, and demand sales.
- Improved search and navigation engagement and conversion
- Improved PLP click-through-rate and conversion
- Improved refinement engagement
Product and Content Focus
Provided an inspirational and engaging website experience that cultivates Foot Locker culture and motivates the customer to build their basket.
- Improved Add-to-Cart (ATC) from product detail pages
- Improved average order value
- Improved natural search traffic to the site
Project Lead Roles
- Adobe Experience Manager Migration to Cloud
- Update Omni-Experience in EMEA due to Omnibus Directive
Management and coordination of US-based product teams “Search / Browse” and “Product / Content” (19 associates)
Sr. Director, CX Technology
Foot Locker APAC
10.2020 - 06.2023
Relocation to Australia and leading the Digital Technology function within the APAC region.
- Building and managing a best-in-class team for APAC that partners with all functions in our global matrix organization
- Align business and technology roadmap
- Manage discovery, intake, requirement prioritization and implementation services
- Single point of contact and accountability for all customer-facing digital initiatives.
- International expansion of the brand Foot Locker in
- Asia (Macau, South Korea)
- Pacific (New Zealand)
- Full ownership of the APAC migration to the new global eCommerce foundation
- EQL (hype commerce platform) integration to Foot Locker eCommerce environment
Sr. Director, CX Technology
Foot Locker EMEA
04.2018 - 10.2020
Partnering with commercial and customer facing teams to offer solutions and aligning business and technology roadmap.
Full ownership of the development, operation and technology stack for all EMEA and APAC Foot Locker brands.
- International expansion of the brand Foot Locker in
- Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong)
- Europe (Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Greece, Hungary, Portugal)
- Launch of Foot Locker on TMall Global
- Managing, building and scaling the eCommerce services and focusing on driving scalability, stability, and reliability (especially for high heat product launches)
- Architectural planning and execution of a Buy-Online-Ship-From-Store solution
- 3rd Party Logistics warehouse integration in UK, Singapore and Australia
Management and coordination of eCommerce Development, Operations, Project management and Data Integration (16 associates)
Director, Development and Operations
Foot Locker EMEA
07.2016 - 04.2018
Member of the Foot Locker digital business management board in EMEA and APAC.
Technical Lead and full ownership of digital business initiatives.
- Launch of the eCommerce Website for Foot Locker Australia
- Migration of the Runners Point and Sidestep eCommerce websites to Intershop (v7.45)
- European expansion of the brands Foot Locker (Norway, Sweden, Denmark) and Sidestep (Netherlands)
Management and coordination of eCommerce Development and Operations (12 associates)
Manager, eCommerce Operations
Foot Locker EMEA
03.2013 - 06.2016
- Migration of the entire Foot Locker Europe eCommerce environment (Shop, Order Management, Payment)
- Responsible for the business continuity of all eCommerce systems (Shop, OMS, PIM, ERP, WHM)
Teamlead, Digital / IT
RUNNERS POINT Group
2005 - 03.2013
- eCommerce Sites (Runners Point, Sidestep and SP24.com), eBay and Amazon marketplace
- Development of a Product Information Management System (PIM)
- Business wide adoption to agile methodologies and using SCRUM within Digital/IT team
Education
Diploma in business informatics
University Duisburg-Essen
Thesis: Controlling electronic sales. An e-controlling method for examining the sales processes in an e-shop
2000 - 2010
A-Level (Abitur)
Goethe-Gymnasium Bochum
1990 - 1999
Language Skills
Honors & Awards
2018
STRIPER OF THE YEAR
Leadership, Teamwork, Excellence
2016
STRIPER OF THE YEAR
Leadership, Teamwork, Excellence
References
References
Dimitrios Lessen, Chief Merchandising Officer at Snipes USA
To whom it may concern, I worked with Dennis from 2013-2020. Great leader , good student of the business and expert in his field. Led the growth of our digital business/ capabilities over that time, expanding in multiple countries and languages. Played an instrumental role for footlocker Europe in growing the digital business. I would highly recommend this individual. Dimitrios, CMO Snipes USA
Thomas Lesser, Senior Director Ecommerce EMEA at Foot Locker Inc.
I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside Dennis for several years. He consistently demonstrates a remarkable ability to adapt to diverse market conditions and customer needs across regions like Asia, the Pacific, and Europe. In the context of retail and especially e-commerce, he’s a stellar problem solver and collaborator, with a keen eye for prioritization and strong ability to bring people together to get things done. Yes he has strong technical acumen relevant to modern e-commerce, but it is his commercial and customer-centric mindset that makes him especially unique and that much more fun to work with. Additionally, Dennis is an exceptional team player. He fosters a collaborative environment and motivates colleagues to achieve their best. His passion for the business and dedication to customer experience are inspiring. I highly recommend Dennis for any opportunity that requires a versatile, results-oriented professional.
Sathiya Balakrishnan, Senior Director Enterprise Architecture / Integration at Sally Beauty
I worked with Dennis for more than a year and he is one of the most amazing leaders I have seen. Always approachable and trustworthy, he goes that extra mile to bring the best out of the team. His cross functional collaboration skills are commendable and he brings a lot of value to the table. A truly compassionate and well respected leader, he is a delight to work with
Naveen Seshadri, Global Head of Consumer Technology and Digital Commerce at Ralph Lauren
You would be hard pressed to find someone with the total-package contribution that Dennis brings to the table. His strong analytical mind coupled with an incredibly empathetic leadership model makes him stand out. He has garnered tremendous respect from his leaders, his peers and his teams alike because of his ability to balance intellectual horsepower with humility and vulnerability. Additionally, his mastery as a technologist and his adeptness as a P&L-growth focused driver make him a uniquely gifted leader that would be a massive asset to any company that wants to continue to future-proof itself in the indubitable Digital years ahead.
Hope Tannenbaum, Vice President Membership at the National Basketball Association (NBA)
I worked with Dennis in our efforts to build out the FLX Program in several European markets for Foot Locker Inc. His communication was clear, consistent and concise with a strong focus on collaboration within a matrixed organization. He was a great partner and fun to work with.
Sebastian Labud, Chief Digital Officer (CDO) at ZWILLING J.A. Henckels AG
Transformational leader with proven track-record of successful global expansion. From Start-Up Ninja to Corporate Leader.