Deliveroo today announces the appointment of the CEO of Next plc, Simon Wolfson, to its Board as a Non Executive Director. Lord Wolfson started in his role this week.
Lord Wolfson has been CEO of Next since 2001, having been appointed to its Board of Directors in 1997.
This comes after Deliveroo appointed Claudia Arney as the company’s first Chair in November.
This appointment comes at an exciting time for the company. Deliveroo has just completed a new Series H funding round of over $180m from existing investors, valuing the business at over $7bn.
The company is expecting increased growth in 2021 and beyond. Online food delivery is a large, growing market with low online penetration, which presents a significant opportunity. Deliveroo is growing rapidly, now working with 140,000 restaurants and 110,000 riders worldwide in over 800 towns and cities, while improving margins, having demonstrated profitability in 2020.
This year, the company is focusing on areas including expanding its Editions delivery-only kitchens globally; increasing choice and selection for consumers, working with more restaurants and grocery stores; increasing affordability for customers by extending its Plus subscription programme; investing in new tools to help restaurants grow their business; and continuing to provide riders with the flexible work they value. Deliveroo will also continue to deliver thousands of free meals to NHS workers who are doing so much during the pandemic.
Will Shu, founder and CEO, said, “Simon will bring great knowledge and insight to the company and help us in our mission to become the definitive food company. We are excited about his appointment.
'We are looking forward to working with him as we continue to innovate, developing new tech tools to support restaurants, to provide riders with more work and to extend choice for customers, bringing them the food they love from more restaurants than ever before.”
Simon Wolfson, said: “I am delighted to be taking up this role. Deliveroo is an exciting, innovative and fast-growing company that, like NEXT, relies on advanced technology to deliver a market-leading proposition. I look forward to working with the talented leadership team on the many opportunities ahead.”
