Groupon Appoints New CEO
Deals and coupons platform, Groupon, has appointed Kedar Deshpande as its new chief executive officer.
Deshpande will be taking over the reigns from the company’s interim CEO, Aaron Cooper, who will be ensuring a smooth transition. He will also be holding a seat on the company’s board.
“Throughout the Board’s search process, our goal was to identify a leader who could help accelerate Groupon’s progress to become the go-to destination for local, and we are excited to welcome Kedar as Groupon’s next CEO,” said Ted Leonsis, chairman of Groupon’s board of directors.
“Kedar has a strong track record of driving growth and operational excellence and brings significant eCommerce leadership experience to Groupon. We believe these characteristics, coupled with his passion for people and culture, will allow Kedar to successfully lead Groupon into its next chapter of growth.”
Prior to joining Groupon, Deshpande spent ten years at Zappos, where he held various other senior leadership positions across the company’s marketing, product, tech and service functions, including the role of COO.
Before Zappos, Deshpande served as a software engineer for General Electric. Deshpande completed his undergraduate degree in India at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University and pursued a masters degree in computer engineering from the University of Nevada Reno.
“Groupon is at a pivotal moment in its journey to become the destination for local, and I am honored to take on this leadership role. Local experiences create memories and forge new connections that can last a lifetime, and as an at-scale local experiences marketplace, Groupon is very well-positioned to grow by connecting more and more consumers to local merchants around the world. The company has spent the last 18 months building a strong foundation for growth and I am excited to work alongside the Groupon team and the board to drive progress and create value for all of our stakeholders,” said Deshpande.
Deshpande’s appointment will become effective December 10, 2021.
Originally published at https://retailbum.com on December 3, 2021.
