Instacart, the leading online grocery platform in North America, today announced it has appointed Carolyn Everson as President, effective September 7, 2021. Everson brings with her a 30-year proven track record of leading at-scale, global consumer technology teams with a focus on growing global partnerships, industry-leading business development and pioneering advertising platforms. As President, Everson will oversee Instacart’s Retail, Business Development and Advertising businesses, as well as the company’s People, Policy & Government Affairs, Legal, Partnerships, Instacart Pickup and Care teams. Everson will report directly to Instacart’s Chief Executive Officer Fidji Simo. Everson will succeed current President Nilam Ganenthiran, who has been appointed to a new senior leadership position – Strategic Advisor to the CEO – also reporting directly to Simo.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with Carolyn for a decade and know just how lucky we are to have her leadership and talent at Instacart. Carolyn’s an industry legend, best known for cultivating strong, trusted relationships that drive strategic value for partners. At Instacart, partnerships and relationships are at the heart of everything we do. With more than 600 retail partners and thousands of advertisers helping power our marketplace, Carolyn’s unmatched experience and authenticity will be a key driving force for our business as our teams prepare for our next chapter of growth,” said Fidji Simo, CEO of Instacart. “With Carolyn at the helm as President, I’m excited to reimagine the role Instacart plays in the future of food by unlocking more inspiration, personalization and accessibility for consumers around the world, while also driving even more growth and engagement for our partners and the broader grocery industry.”
“Instacart’s in a league of its own with a pioneering, sustainable business model that delivers more value and delight to customers, more growth and customer engagement to retailers and more sales and product discovery to brands. Working with Fidji again is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as Instacart redefines the connection consumers have to food during a pivotal moment of innovation within our industry,” said Carolyn Everson, incoming President of Instacart. “I’m thrilled to join Fidji’s leadership team and combine my love for advertising and partnerships with my deep passion for global team building. We are in a period of rapid grocery e-commerce adoption and Instacart is incredibly well-positioned to play an important part in people’s lives for many years to come.”
Everson joins Instacart following more than a decade at Facebook, where she was most recently the Vice President of Global Marketing Solutions, leading the company’s relationships with top advertisers and agencies. In that role, she oversaw a team focused on global partnerships and agencies, as well as Facebook’s Creative Shop. Throughout her more than 10 years at Facebook, Everson played a pivotal role building and growing the company into the second largest digital ads platform in the world. Prior to Facebook, she was the Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Global Advertising Sales and Trade Marketing Teams, where she led the company’s advertising business across Bing, MSN, Windows Live, Mobile, Gaming, Atlas, and the Microsoft Media Network. She also spent nearly seven years at MTV Networks, where she served as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of U.S. Ad Sales for MTV Networks.
Everson holds a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and Communications from Villanova University, from which she graduated summa cum laude. She also earned a master’s degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School, where she was a Baker Scholar. Everson is on the Board of Creative Artists Agency, as well as the Humane Society of the U.S., the Mobile Marketing Association, and the Advertising Women of New York Foundation. She is also a member of the Villanova University Board of Trustees.
