Shopbop chief executive officer Kim Fleissner is expanding her role and will now lead Zappos as well, WWD sister publication FN has learned.
The move, confirmed by a Zappos spokesperson late Friday, comes as the Las Vegas-based footwear e-tailer’s CEO Scott Schaefer prepares to exit the company on Nov. 1. Both Zappos and Shopbop are owned by Amazon.
Fleissner has been CEO of Madison, Wisc.-based Shopbop since May 2018.
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“Kim is a long-tenured leader who will champion the unique culture and differentiators of the Zappos brand, ensuring it continues to deliver customer-focused growth,” the Zappos spokesperson said in a statement.
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Schaefer is leaving “to pursue other interests.”
“We would like to thank Scott for his contributions to Zappos through the years and wish him well in his future endeavors,” the spokesperson said.
The move marks the third CEO change at Zappos in four years. In 2020, a few months before his death, Zappos cofounder Tony Hsieh left the CEO role and Kedar Deshpande took over. In late 2021, Deshpande departed the company for Groupon, and Schaefer was appointed acting CEO for a short time before getting the permanent gig in April 2022.
Zappos — which has quietly cut hundreds of jobs in the past few years — has not been immune to the changes and challenges sweeping across both the footwear industry and e-commerce space. Not only have many brands doubled down on their own direct-to-consumer efforts, but brick-and-mortar retail has made a major comeback in the post-pandemic era.
Interestingly, both Zappos and Shopbop made their debuts in 1999 and were pioneers in the e-commerce space.