Blue Apron CEO, CTO To Step Down For Greener Pastures

Blue Apron, the struggling meal kit provider, announced Tuesday (April 2) Brad Dickerson, president and CEO of the company, has decided to resign. Additionally, the company announced Ilia Papas, Blue Apron’s chief technology officer is also stepping down.

In a press release, Blue Apron said the former chief financial officer, who was named president and CEO in November of 2017, is leaving to pursue other opportunities. He will serve as an advisor to the company as its new president and CEO Linda Findley Kozlowski transitions into her role. Kozlowski, who will also be a member of the board, most recently served as chief operating officer of Etsy. Prior to that, she was COO of Evernote Corp.

As COO at Etsy, she was responsible for product, marketing, and customer engagement and acquisition. She’s credited with growing marketplace sales at Etsy. “This is an exciting time to join Blue Apron,” said Kozlowski in the press release. “Over the past year, the company has made significant product, platform, and operational advancements, and now has the right foundation for growth. I look forward to working closely with the team to focus on the best opportunities to attract and engage consumers and drive the business to new levels of performance.” In the case of CTO Papas, Blue Apron said he is also pursuing new opportunities and that his last day will be May 3, 2019.

In prepared remarks, outgoing CEO Dickerson said the meal kit company has reached an “important point” in its history and has a clear path towards adjusted EBITDA profitability as well as a sharpened focus on the opportunities. “The Board and I believe this is an appropriate time to transition to a new leader who can optimize for growth. I am proud of the great things our team has accomplished and am confident that with Linda as CEO, Blue Apron will implement the appropriate strategies to create value for all of its stakeholders,” he said.

In the same press release, Blue Apron backed its prior guidance for its net loss to narrow significantly and for it to achieve profitability on an adjusted EBITDA basis for the first quarter of 2019 and for full year 2019.