Kristi Argyilan Leaves Albertsons for Uber
Kristi Argyilan, who had led Albertsons Cos.’ ad business as SVP of retail media since 2021, has left the company to join Uber, where she will guide the San Francisco-based transportation company’s $1 billion in ad revenue, according to published reports.
“There is an opportunity to put the commercial structure in place to support something that has grown that fast,” Argyilan told Adweek, noting Uber Advertising’s meteoric growth since launching in 2022. “[It’s] a great opportunity to reinforce what already exists.”
Argyilan succeeded Mark Grether, Uber Advertising’s former VP and general manager, who left the company this past May to roll out PayPal’s ad business.
“We’re thrilled to have Kristi join the Uber team, bringing decades of diverse experience across the advertising industry to help us build the next generation of our advertising business,” said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.
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Before heading Albertsons’ retail media network, Argyilan oversaw the ad business at Target for more than six years, during which time, Roundel, Target’s advertising arm, was launched. Prior to that, she worked at various agencies.
Earlier this year, Argyilan was named a Progressive Grocer Top Woman in Grocery for her work at Albertsons, an honor she had also received in 2023.
“The Uber offering is broader than a retail media network from a specific retailer, which makes it different,” noted Argyilan. “As I will always say about commerce media, there is a great opening in the marketplace for more alternatives. And Uber has every opportunity to be one of those scaled alternatives.”
She reports to Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, Uber’s SVP of delivery for Uber, and works closely with Andrew Macdonald, SVP of mobility and business operations. Megan Ramm, head of the Americas for Uber Advertising, and Paul Wright, head of international for Uber Advertising, both report to Argyilan.
As of Sept. 7, Albertsons Cos. operated 2,267 retail food and drug stores with 1,726 pharmacies, 405 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers and 19 manufacturing facilities. The Boise, Idaho-based company operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under more than 20 well-known banners. Albertsons is No. 9 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
