Top e-commerce exec leaves Walmart to rejoin eBay as CEO

Walmart will lose a top e-commerce talent later this month when Jamie Iannone becomes the new CEO of eBay. The California-based company announced the hiring Monday (April 13).

Iannone was recently promoted to chief operating officer for Walmart U.S. eCommerce in February.  He will officially begin his new role on April 27. The company said Scott Schenkel, interim CEO for the past six months, will stay on with the company to work with Iannone through a smooth transition.

“The Board believes Jamie is the ideal CEO to lead eBay’s next chapter of growth and success,” Thomas Tierney, chairman of the eBay board of directors, said in a statement. “We have all been impressed by his strong track record of innovation, execution, operational excellence, and developing teams that drive results. Jamie has consistently delivered high growth during rapid periods of industry disruption, consumer change and technological advancement. He is a world-class leader, and we are excited to welcome him back to eBay.”

Iannone joined Sam’s Club in 2014 and served as CEO of SamsClub.com and head of membership and technology. During that tenure, he ushered in a number of initiatives including Scan & Go, Ask Sam’s, Sam’s Club Now and Club Pickup. He also helped grow the retailer’s online business and membership base.

Iannone worked at eBay from 2001 to 2009 where he led the buyer experience team.

“I am honored to rejoin eBay as its next chief executive officer,” Iannone said in a statement. “In my previous experience with the company, I developed a deep appreciation for what makes eBay so special.”

He said “eBay’s success has always been rooted in its robust C2C platform. I believe the company has tremendous opportunities to capitalize on this foundation, innovate for the future and grow its ecosystem.”

Iannone said he will work with the company’s global teams to enhance buyer experiences and provide more capabilities that will help small businesses grow.

“I will focus on continuing to evolve the company’s strategy while delivering on eBay’s commitment to maximizing long-term shareholder value,” he said.

Walmart provided the following statement to Talk Business & Politics on behalf of Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner and Marc Lore, CEO of Walmart U.S. eCommerce, who notified Iannone’s team of his departure with an internal memo on Monday.

“While we are happy for Jamie and his new opportunity, we will miss him at Walmart. He has been a great counselor to many of us and has helped us put the customer and associate experience at the center of everything we do.”

Walmart said it plans to announce a new chief operating officer for Walmart U.S. eCommerce at a future date. In the mean time, Iannone’s staff will report jointly to Lore and Furner.