Dive Brief:
- Food52 on Tuesday announced five executive appointments, including Jason Chatterjee as chief financial officer and head of corporate development.
- Chatterjee previously held positions at Boston Consulting Group and private equity firms Sycamore Partners and L Catterton. In his new role at Food52, Chatterjee will be responsible for the brand’s overall financial strategy, including acquisitions, according to a company press release.
- The company also appointed Ben Gerst to chief product and technology officer, Jieh Greeney to senior vice president of retail, David Cole to senior vice president of integration and strategic initiatives, and Elizabeth Spiridakis Olson to vice president of creative.
Dive Insight:
As it looks to its next phase of growth, Food52 has brought in talent from some big companies, particularly in the publishing and retail industries.
Gerst, who will focus on tech and innovation at Food52, has previous experience at Los Angeles Times, where he was the chief technology officer, as well as Tribune Publishing, Fox Sports, and The New York Times. Cole, who previously worked for Qualia, Intuit, Yahoo and Salesforce, will head the integration of Schoolhouse, Food52’s latest acquisition. Spiridakis Olson, who was previously the creative director at Kate Spade New York, AFAR and Bon Appétit, will lead creative direction at Food52. And Greeney, who previously held roles at Tiffany and Lululemon, will lead Food52’s brick-and-mortar business in the newly created role.
“If we want to continue to innovate, we have to invest in accomplished and ambitious leaders to head up every part of our business — from technology and finance to creative,” founder and CEO Amanda Hesser said in a statement. “I am so proud of our team and feel confident that we have the leaders in place to take us into this exciting next chapter.”
Filling out its team with several retail-focused executives signals commerce remains an important element of Food52’s business. In addition to the appointments, the company announced Tuesday that it’s planning to launch its own pantry line and begin work on a New York City retail flagship.
The brand has had a commerce arm of its business for years: In 2013, Food52 launched its online shop and in 2020, it launched the Home52 vertical. The company in 2018 launched its direct-to-consumer brand, Five Two, and has formed partnerships with retailers like Nordstrom to sell its products.
And recent acquisitions last year help further position it as a retailer, particularly in the home space. Food52 in May last year announced it acquired housewares brand Dansk and is currently working to revitalize the brand. In December, the company announced it would acquire Portland, Oregon-based lighting and lifestyle goods company Schoolhouse for about $48 million in cash and stock.
