H&M has taken on a professor of computer science as board member.

Danica Kragic Jensfelt has been named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for her contributions to vision-based systems and robotic object manipulation.

The appointment underscores the importance of digital to mass-market fashion retailers. A great transition is taking place in fashion retail as a result of increasing digitalization. Fashion retailers are increasingly using artificial intelligence in their customer services and supply chain operations with robotics, augmented reality and virtual reality also making an ever-larger impact on stores, websites and back office ops.

H&M plans to use Jensfelt’s unique expertise within computer science and AI for robotisation, logistics and recycling as well as within fashion and the shopping experience. The company also cites recycling as an area in which her expertise can be applied as fast fashion firms find themselves under increasing pressure to lessen the environmental impact of their products.

The clothing chain, that runs nearly 5000 stores worldwide, reported a five per cent increase in yearly sales globally. It stocks fast fashion items created in-house and teams up with designers for one-time collections. It keeps a large inventory of basic, everyday items sourced from places including India and Bangladesh that carry a lower price tag than that of most of its rivals.