Retail communications specialist, VoCoVo, has announced the appointments of Emma Hillyard as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Paul Birkin as Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

Hillyard has worked across both the private and not for profit sectors, including retail, with previous CFO roles at Waterstones, Blackwells and Alzheimer’s Society.

She says: “VoCoVo has achieved strong growth already, and my role is to help make sure we navigate this next period and build on the growth already seen. For me, that means giving teams the insight and support they need to make informed decisions and creating the right environment for people to do their best work."

"I’ve always been very people centric and believe culture is critical to making meaningful change stick. That was a big part of what attracted me to VoCoVo. Its people and culture are a real superpower, and I’m excited to build on that.”

Birkin has held C-suite positions at CBRE, Experian, Capita, Logica and Cisco. 

He says, “I’ve spent much of my career leading large scale transformations where technology can make a visible difference. That’s what makes VoCoVo so exciting - there’s already a strong technology foundation and a true ambition to keep innovating. As retail becomes increasingly intelligent, AI has the potential to create huge business value. My focus is on turning that potential into tangible value for our customers and pushing what the connected store can deliver.”

Beth Worrall, CEO at VoCoVo, says: “Emma and Paul bring two highly complementary areas of expertise to VoCoVo. Emma helps ensure we have the right commercial foundations and insight to scale sustainably, while Paul helps us accelerate our technology roadmap and innovation to create greater impact for our customers."

"Just as importantly, they both share our focus on people, culture and creating meaningful, sustainable value. This is all critical to our next phase of growth, and I look forward to working with them as we build on the momentum we’ve already created.”

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Retail communications will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

Check out our 2026 shortlists and finalists here.

The awards, which celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world, have now closed for entries. Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

The event will consist of a drinks reception, three course meal, awards ceremony presided over by award winning stand-up comedian, presenter, actor and broadcaster, Aurie Styla, and after party until 1am.

Click here to book your place at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, 4th November.