Former Zappos CEO to Join Groupon on Dec. 10
Groupon, Inc. (“Groupon” or the “Company”) announced its Board of Directors has appointed Kedar Deshpande as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, effective Dec. 10, 2021. Kedar has also been appointed to the Groupon Board of Directors. Aaron Cooper, Interim CEO, will step down from his role, and is committed to helping ensure a smooth transition.
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“Since stepping into the Interim CEO role, Aaron has successfully navigated Groupon through unprecedented challenges and opportunities created by the global pandemic. At the same time, he also helped position the company for future growth by significantly strengthening its customer and merchant value propositions”
“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 the Board of Directors. “Kedar has a strong track record of driving growth and operational excellence, and brings significant e-commerce 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.”
Kedar spent the last 10 years at Zappos in roles of escalating responsibility, culminating with his appointment to CEO. In addition, he held a number of other senior leadership positions across Zappos’ Marketing, Product, Tech and Service functions, including COO. Before Zappos, Kedar served as a Software Engineer for General Electric. Kedar completed his undergraduate degree in India at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University and received his MS in Computer Engineering from the University of Nevada Reno.
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“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.
“Since stepping into the Interim CEO role, Aaron has successfully navigated Groupon through unprecedented challenges and opportunities created by the global pandemic. At the same time, he also helped position the company for future growth by significantly strengthening its customer and merchant value propositions,” said Leonsis. “On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Aaron for his dedication and many contributions to the company and express our appreciation that he will ensure a smooth transition.”
“It has been an honor and a privilege to work alongside the entire Groupon team over the last nearly 12 years,” said Cooper. “I remain as confident as ever about Groupon’s potential and continue to believe that the company is well positioned to become the go-to destination for local experiences. I’ll be cheering on Groupon’s every success along the way.”
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