Instacart recently promoted Chris Rogers, its chief business officer, to be the company’s new CEO. Rogers will also become a member of the board of directors at Instacart.
The announcement came just a few weeks after Fidji Simo, the CEO of Instacart, announced her resignation to become the CEO of Applications at OpenAI.
Fidji Simo will continue to serve as Instacart’s board chair. As chief business officer, Chris Rogers oversaw Instacart’s partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, Instacart Business, Instacart Health, Ad Sales and R&D, and retailer relationships and expansions.
After almost 11 years at Apple, where he was the managing director for Apple Canada, Rogers joined Instacart in 2019. According to Instacart, he started his career at Procter & Gamble, where he oversaw partnerships with Canada’s largest national grocery stores.
“Instacart sits at the centre of how people shop, eat, and care for their families — and that’s always been what inspires me most about our mission,” Rogers said upon his promotion to CEO.
“Together with our partners, we’re transforming the future of grocery shopping, but more importantly, we’re helping people solve real, everyday needs. We have a world-class team, deep partnerships, leading technology, and a bold vision for the future, and I’m honoured to step in and lead Instacart’s next chapter,” he added.
According to Rogers’ blog post, Instacart will continue to concentrate on its “unwavering commitment to growing the pie for retailers and brands” and will maintain the same vision under his leadership.
Additionally, he stated that Instacart will work to improve the earning options available to its customers. Rogers has been instrumental in the development of Instacart, and Fidji Simo will continue to collaborate with him in the upcoming months to ensure a seamless transition, she wrote in a letter to staff members.
Who Is Chris Rogers?
Chris Rogers has a broad background in technology and business. He holds an undergraduate degree in computer science from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he honed his leadership and strategic skills.
His success has been greatly attributed to this strong foundation in innovation and technology. His education provided him with the technical expertise and critical thinking abilities he needed to thrive in the fast-paced world of tech leadership.
Chris Rogers had a stellar career at major tech companies like Google and Facebook (now Meta) before taking the helm at Instacart. He played a significant role in the growth of Meta’s user base, expanding the company’s range of products, and driving the development of core products.
His time at Google had an equally significant impact. He worked with the engineering and product teams to improve and optimise various aspects of the company’s digital services and advertising. Rogers’ work at Instacart benefits from the extensive product development and scaling experience he gained in these positions.
In 2021, Chris Rogers became Chief Product Officer at Instacart, where he was responsible for the company’s technological infrastructure, strategy, and product vision. Under his leadership, Instacart’s grocery delivery services were expanded, and the user experience was enhanced with a more user-friendly interface.
After being appointed CEO in 2023, Rogers was tasked with leading Instacart through a fiercely competitive grocery delivery market. Under his leadership, Instacart has broadened its offerings beyond groceries, strengthened its alliances with supermarket chains, and upgraded the technology of its delivery platform to increase scalability and efficiency.
In his role as CEO, Rogers has demonstrated strategic leadership by focusing on product development and expansion to maintain Instacart’s position as the industry leader in grocery delivery. More advanced recommendation algorithms and a more seamless user interface are just two examples of the advancements driven by his extensive knowledge of technology and product development.
By establishing important partnerships with major grocery stores, Chris Rogers has also led initiatives to expand Instacart’s customer base and enhance the platform’s reliability and accessibility throughout North America.
Image Credits: Instacart