Who is the ceo of shipt

Witherspoon brings to the company years of experience in high-growth industries including retail, healthcare and food service/restaurants. During his career, he has held leadership roles with a variety of companies including UnitedHealthcare, Yum! Brands and Target, where he most recently was senior vice president of operations. In that role, he was responsible for the company's operational planning and prioritization, partner operations, M&A integration and process improvement initiatives across supply chain, stores and properties. Previously, he was senior vice president, operational performance and readiness at UnitedHealthcare, leading new business integration, M&A integration, operational strategy and field operations. And he also held the position of chief restaurant excellence officer for the KFC US division of Yum! Brands leading the overall transformation of operations.

"Kamau's vast experience leading teams and operations at scale will help drive Shipt's continued growth and deepen the commitment to its team, partners, customers and shoppers," said John Mulligan, Shipt board chairman and Target chief operating officer. "Under Kelly's strategic leadership, Shipt has experienced more growth than at any point in its history by bringing a personalized shopping experience to millions more U.S. families. Kamau's operational expertise and vision for the future will build on Shipt's momentum as an innovative last mile company."

Acquired by Target in 2017, and run independently in Birmingham, Alabama, Shipt has grown from serving dozens of markets to now reaching nearly 300 metropolitan areas nationwide – and growing. Guided by its purpose to spark connections to show how every person counts, since 2020, Shipt has tripled its network of shoppers and doubled its retail partners to offer same-day delivery that's differentiated by customer service.

"The incredible growth Shipt has realized reflects the strength of its differentiated business model and the value its network of personal shoppers delivers to millions of customers with each and every delivery – and I couldn't be more excited to lead the company into its next chapter," said Witherspoon. "With momentum in our business and a talented, purpose-driven team, I'm confident Shipt will continue to stand out as the premier choice for same-day delivery for both our loyal customers and expanding network of retail partners."

Witherspoon succeeds Caruso who has been the company's CEO for the past three years. During the transition, Caruso will remain in an advisory role.

"Leading the Shipt business and team has been one of the true highlights of my career," says Caruso. "I am grateful to the team for their dedication and drive, to our retailer partners for their partnership and trust they place in us each and every day, to the Birmingham community that has embraced all of us and to Shipt Shoppers who are out in communities each and every day bringing the magic."

Caruso will remain in role as CEO through March 1, when Witherspoon joins the company. She will transition to an advisory role through April 1. Witherspoon and his family will be relocating to Birmingham, Alabama this year.

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About Shipt
Shipt brings the store to your door. Through a community of Shipt Shoppers and a convenient app, Shipt provides personal shopping and delivery and is available to 80% of households in more than 5,000 U.S. cities. Shipt Shoppers go above and beyond, communicating in real time about preferences and substitutions. A curated marketplace of retailers, Shipt offers access to a variety of stores and product categories including fresh foods, household essentials, wellness products, office and pet supplies. Shipt is an independently operated, wholly owned subsidiary of Target Corp. Founded and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, Shipt also maintains an office in San Francisco. For more information, visit Shipt.com.

SOURCE Shipt

Kamau Witherspoon’s first experience as a Shipt shopper was a rough ride.

“I made a lot of rookie mistakes,” admits Shipt’s new CEO, on the job since March 1. But the experience was in keeping with his philosophy, assembled over the years of a career in retail, healthcare and food service, holding leadership roles with UnitedHealthcare, Yum! Brands and Target.

“I try to lean in with curiosity,” he said of his first 90 days on the job. “One of the things I like to do is, I lead with empathy.”

Witherspoon is assuming the role at Shipt during an interesting time. Target acquired Birmingham’s Shipt, the brainchild of founder Bill Smith, in 2017. The popular “Uber for groceries” app was still in its early stages of gaining a national foothold on the market. Then came the pandemic, when lockdown measures and social distancing suddenly made the company a must for millions.

During the tenure of former CEO Kelly Caruso, Shipt tripled its network of shoppers, doubled its retail partners and reached more than 80% of the households in the U.S.

But what does the future hold?

Witherspoon said he held a listening tour of the company and spent time with Shipt’s “experience” team - the company brain trust that deals with daily issues affecting shoppers and customers. But his own experience as a shopper - the people who actually enter the stores and gather items for Shipt members - was eye-opening.

It was a rainy afternoon on U.S. 280 around Easter, Witherspoon remembered. He claimed an order from Target, the company he came to Shipt from. Since 2018, he served as senior vice president of operations, overseeing everything from operational planning and prioritization to mergers and acquisition integration, and process improvements in supply chain, stores and properties. Simply put, he knew the store.

“I claimed the order, and immediately saw it was not going to be a piece of cake,” he said. “It was merchandise from all different categories.”

One of the items was baby formula, a product in the midst of a severe nationwide shortage due to supply chain issues. And it was a special kind of formula, he said, along with a “Baby’s First Easter” bib. He also needed to snag a pair of skinny jeans, some children’s books, and a few grocery items.

Witherspoon’s big mistake though, he said, was not having his phone adequately charged. How could he fulfill the order in an adequate amount of time if his battery went dead? Add to that, traffic and weather complications when it came time to deliver.

The good news? He still got the tip.

“It really stuck with me, the lengths that our shoppers go to meet the needs of our customers,” Witherspoon said.

Coming from Target, Witherspoon is in the midst of relocating his family to Birmingham from Minnesota, a process he says should be completed in mid-July. He says he’s received a friendly welcome not only within the company but from the Birmingham business community. Shipt has about 1,100 workers based in its Magic City headquarters. He says the company is “committed to the city long-term.”

“One of the things that makes Shipt special and unique is our Southern roots,” he said. “We’re a people-first company rooted in Southern hospitality, combined with technology. That’s how we show up in the 5,000 cities where our platform is available, in a way that’s distinctive in the marketplace.”

At present, Shipt, like other companies, is transitioning out of the pandemic growth and dealing with a host of other issues affecting consumers, from inflation inside the stores to spiking gas prices that squeeze its shopper network. One perk offered to shoppers this year is through the Upside app, which offers cash back on fuel fill-ups. There’s also fuel perks through GasBuddy.com, Witherspoon said.

But inflationary pressures, and fears of recession, represent headwinds after a period of remarkable growth.

“I’m very optimistic about the future of Shipt,” he said. “We’ve got a sound strategy in how we’re going to meet the needs of our customers, and anticipate their needs in the future.”

And Witherspoon has one other goal - to make Shipt the most diverse company in the tech sector.

“We have a responsibility to reflect the various communities that we serve, and we’ve done that,” he said. “But it’s a job that’s never done. Our C-Suite (executives) is 60% people of color, 50% female. Those are really great diversity numbers, but that’s a trend we’re going to continue. We’ve made a ton of progress, but it’s a job that’s never done.”