Walmart’s Jamie Iannone Departs to Lead eBay as CEO

Walmart veteran Jamie Iannone is departing for a new executive role as eBay’s CEO, effective April 27.

Iannone most recently was chief operating officer of Walmart e-commerce. Before that, he was the retailer’s CEO of SamsClub.com, leading the club store to a significant transformation of its digital offerings. Iannone will succeed Scott Schenkel, who has been eBay’s interim CEO since September, when Devin Wenig departed.

eBay has been under pressure from activist investor Starboard Value LP, which last month urged the board to take on new members and hire an outside executive to take over.

Iannone was with eBay from 2001 to 2009. He was a VP and held other leadership roles at the San Jose, Calif.-based consumer-to-consumer (C2C) online marketplace. He joined Walmart in 2014 from Barnes & Noble.

“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. 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. I look forward to working with our global teams to enhance buyer experiences and provide more capabilities that will help small businesses sustain and grow. I will focus on continuing to evolve the company’s strategy while delivering on eBay’s commitment to maximize long-term shareholder value.”

“The board believes Jamie is the ideal CEO to lead eBay’s next chapter of growth and success,” added Thomas Tierney, chairman of eBay Inc.’s board. “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.”

Schenkel will continue as interim CEO until Iannone joins and will thereafter work with Iannone to ensure a smooth transition of leadership. Andy Cring will continue as interim chief financial officer.

At Sam’s Club, Iannone grew both the SamsClub.com business and Sam's Club’s membership base, which ended Walmart’s fiscal year with record-high e-commerce growth and Plus renewal counts. His teams also released industry-leading technologies, including Scan & Go, Ask Sam’s, Sam's Club Now and Club Pickup.