EBay named a Walmart e-commerce executive as CEO.
EBay Inc. named a Walmart Inc. e-commerce executive chief executive officer, bringing in a manager with outside digital experience as the online marketplace seeks to placate the demands of activist investors.
Jamie Iannone, most recently COO of Walmart eCommerce, will take up the CEO position at EBay on April 27, the company said in a statement Monday. Before joining Walmart, Iannone was the ran SamsClub’s e-commerce unit, where he was responsible for the unit’s digital transformation. Iannone worked at EBay as a vice president and in other roles from 2001 to 2009.
Years of stagnant sales growth have diminished EBay’s position in an online commerce market that’s dominated in the U.S. by Amazon.com Inc. Activist investors Elliott Management Corp. and Starboard Value last year began pushing for changes at EBay including shedding ticket-resale site StubHub and the classified ads business.
Devin Wenig, who clashed with the activists as chief executive officer, was ousted in September after failing to expand the marketplace platform and opposing the sale of businesses. In November, EBay announced the sale of StubHub to Switzerland’s Viagogo for $4.05 billion.