GoPuff Taps Airbnb Exec to Drive Growth

Fast-growing digital-first retailer goPuff has a new senior executive in charge of the next phase of the company's evolution.

Sharad Sundaresan will become SVP/Product and Growth effective immediately. While at Airbnb as Head of Traffic and Growth, Sundaresan led plans across the company’s portfolio of products for user growth, adoption and bookings. Now at goPuff, he will lead goPuff’s product and growth teams at the instant needs company.

"It’s time to embark on a new trip, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to share that I’ve joined an amazing company, goPuff, to lead Product and Growth," Sundaresan posted on LinkedIn. "GoPuff, already the go-to solution for everyday needs, has the potential to unlock a world of possibilities, and create a new paradigm for what customers should expect from technology to improve their day to day lives. This is near and dear to my heart, and the opportunity to contribute and build on that vision is what excites me about joining Yakir Gola and Rafael Ilishayev and the goPuff team. I look forward to building innovative products, coupled with design and insights, to provide a great customer experience, and position the company for long-term sustainable growth. Come join us as we embark on this next phase of the journey of a truly transformational company."

The addition of Sundaresan to goPuff’s leadership team comes on the heels of several key executive leadership hires: Jocelyn Wong, former Chief Marketing Officer at Lowe’s, joined as goPuff’s first Chief Customer Officer late last year; at the same time, Jonathan DiOrio, Uber’s former Global Head of FinTech and U.S. Business Development, joined goPuff as Chief Business Officer and former TripAdvisor engineering executive Rekha Singh joined goPuff to serve as VP of Engineering. Most recently, Josh Burke joined as goPuff’s CFO. Burke previously served as CFO at Backcountry, a market leading pure play e-commerce site, and spent nearly a decade building Under Armor’s finance function. And finally, Eva Behrend just joined goPuff as VP of Communications. Behrend previously led communications at Uber and SpaceX as well as Quibi.

For a flat $1.95 fee, a consumer can order candy, soda, toilet paper or a pre-made salad from goPuff and get it delivered in under 30 minutes. The company operates more than 200 micro-fulfillment centers and in more than 500 cities across the United States and works with distributors to deliver snacks, drinks, ice cream, personal care items, home essentials, baby products, alcohol, over-the-counter medicine and more.