Scott Thompson Leaves ShopRunner

After four years running Alibaba-backed eCommerce platform ShopRunner, Scott Thompson is stepping down from the role of CEO to pursue a new entrepreneurial venture.

The company announced on Tuesday (July 12) that Sam Yagan, former CEO of Match Group, will now take the reins at ShopRunner. The leadership change comes as the members-only shopping service said it is looking to boost the growth of its member base beyond 3 million customers and increase value for its 150 merchant partners.

“I am proud of ShopRunner’s growth during the last four years, and I am excited to see Sam and the team continue to attack the huge market opportunity,” Thompson said in a statement. “Sam shares my belief in the value ShopRunner brings to our retail partners and members; I know he will do a great job leading the company to new heights.”

Michael Rubin, CEO of ShopRunner’s parent company, Kynetic, added:

“Scott Thompson’s decision to leave ShopRunner for his own entrepreneurial venture brings to an end his four-year tenure, during which time ShopRunner evolved from a nascent concept to a successful business, achieving tremendous growth on both the merchant and consumer sides of the network. Bringing in Sam’s expertise in building consumer brands, driving customer acquisition and leveraging unique data assets will accelerate ShopRunner‘s existing momentum. Under Sam’s leadership, we will have our eyes set on pushing gross merchandise sales on the ShopRunner network well into the billions.”

Yagan cofounded several consumer-facing internet businesses, including SparkNotes and OkCupid, and was named CEO of Match Group back in 2012. He continues to serve as vice chairman of Match Group and is a member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business’ Management Board.

“I have tremendous passion for building consumer brands that offer valuable services to their members; there’s no doubt that consumers love our current offering of free two-day shipping at their favorite eCommerce retailers. ShopRunner’s unique two-sided network is well-positioned to offer unparalleled value to both our merchant partners and our members. Scott and the entire ShopRunner team have worked magic in building the base of this business, and I’m excited to lead its next phase of growth,” Yagan explained.