Pinterest shakes up C-suite, appoints Bill Ready and Ben Silbermann as CEO, Executive Chairman respectively
Visual inspiration platform Pinterest has announced the appointment of Bill Ready as the new Chief Executive Officer of the platform. Previous CEO, Co-Founder and President, Ben Silbermann will be transitioning to the newly created role of Executive Chairman, effective June 29, 2022. Ready will also join as a member of the Board of Directors.
Andrea Wishom, Pinterest Board Lead Independent Director said, “On behalf of the Board, I am thrilled to welcome Bill [Ready] to the Pinterest team. Bill is a proven leader, whose experience in payments, product development, and shopping uniquely positions him to take Pinterest to its next phase of growth.
She also added that it was a testament to the remarkable vision and leadership of Ben that they are able to welcome Bill [Ready], who shares similar values. The Board looks forward to working with them both to accelerate Pinterest's strategy of bringing everyone the inspiration to create.
Pinterest has built a healthy advertising business that has generated strong cash flow and doubled revenue during the pandemic, with over 400 million monthly active users.
“Building Pinterest with such a wildly talented, kind and creative team has been the gift of a lifetime,” said Ben Silbermann, Executive Chairman. “Today, Pinterest inspires hundreds of millions of people with ideas for every aspect of their lives. We’ve built a growing global business that puts the well-being of our users at the core of everything we do. And we’re just getting started.”
He also added that they are focused on helping Pinners buy, try and act on all the great ideas they see. He welcomes Ready, who is a great leader for this transition and shares their passion for creating a positive corner of the Internet.”
Ready will be joining Pinterest from Google, where he served as President of Commerce, Payments & Next Billion Users. He headlined Google’s vision, strategy and the delivery of its commerce products. Previously, Ready had served in various senior leadership roles at PayPal, including Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He also counts Braintree, Venmo, Williams-Sonoma and ADP as his previous employers.
Ready completed his Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Finance from University of Louisville and did his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Bill Ready, CEO, Pinterest, “There’s no better time to join Pinterest,” said Ready. "I have long admired the brand and platform that Ben and the Pinterest team have created and everything the Company stands for. I am excited to build on that foundation to further scale the Company’s ecosystem and drive increased value for shareholders. Having built multiple businesses from zero and operated at the scale of billions of users, I have a deep appreciation for what it takes to scale a business like this to the next level. I look forward to working closely with Ben, the Board and the rest of the leadership team to capitalize on the many opportunities ahead and usher in Pinterest’s next chapter of growth and success.”