A New Canaan maker of software aimed to modernize the way retailers and shoppers redeem store coupons has added a veteran grocery executive and investor to its board of directors.

The addition of John Shields as a director to Intelligent Clearing Network (ICN) coincides with a $600,000 investment from Connecticut  Innovations Inc., the state’s quasi-public technology investment arm, and $400,000 from other investors earlier in March.

Shields is a former president and chief executive officer of First National Supermarkets (Finast) in the Northeast and Homeland Stores Inc. in Oklahoma. From 1996 to 2007, he served on the board of Wild Oats Markets Inc., organic and health food supermarkets acquired in 2007 by WholeFoods Inc.

ICN’s patent-pending software that electronically clears digital and paper coupons and other incentives through a single connection at checkout terminals in grocery, drug and mass-merchant retail stores.