HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings Corp. announced on Monday  that James Andrew has joined the company in the new role of chief administrative officer. He will lead the company’s corporate support functions, including financial planning and analysis, business finance, legal, procurement, and human resources, the company noted in a press release.

“Jim is a proven executive with deep expertise leading business performance improvement, corporate strategy and delivering on key objectives,” commented Edward Lampert, Sears’ chairman and chief executive officer. “His range and depth of experiences managing corporate transformations and capability development make him a strong fit for Sears Holdings as we pursue our member-focused transformation.”

Andrew most recently worked at Royal Philips NV as executive vice president and chief strategy and innovation officer, where he was credited with a number of accomplishments. He contributed to a multiyear transformation of the Dutch maker of light bulbs, lighting systems and consumer electronics that led to improved productivity and capability development, Sears noted. Andrew was also credited with leading Philips’ business and market growth strategies, as well as its annual planning efforts. In addition, he led the company’s digital transformation and was responsible for the repositioning of Philips’ portfolio.

Earlier, Andrew spent 25 years with The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he consulted with Fortune 250 companies across a wide range of industries on business performance improvement, corporate strategy, portfolio composition and shareholder value creation. While he was with BCG, Andrew also established its innovation practice.

Andrew has served as a charter member of the Department of Commerce’s National Advisory Committee for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and is a coauthor of Payback: Reaping the Rewards of Innovation, published in 2006 and selected by Bloomberg Businessweek as a top-10 innovation book of the year.

Andrew earned a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from the University of Illinois.