Kamau Witherspoon, who has experience at companies such as UnitedHealthcare, Yum! Brands and Target, has been named CEO of Birmingham-based Shipt effective March 1.
He succeeds Kelly Caruso, who has been the company’s CEO for three years and will work in an advisory role with Witherspoon through April 1, according to a release from Shipt.
Witherspoon most recently was senior vice president of operations for Target, which bought Shipt in 2017.
“Kamau’s vast experience leading teams and operations at scale will help drive Shipt’s continued growth and deepen the commitment to its team, partners, customers and shoppers,” said John Mulligan, Shipt board chairman and Target chief operating officer. “Under Kelly’s strategic leadership, Shipt has experienced more growth than at any point in its history by bringing a personalized shopping experience to millions more U.S. families. Kamau’s operational expertise and vision for the future will build on Shipt’s momentum as an innovative last-mile company.”
Witherspoon said he’s looking forward to leading Shipt, the personal shopping company founded by Birmingham’s Bill Smith.
“The incredible growth Shipt has realized reflects the strength of its differentiated business model and the value its network of personal shoppers delivers to millions of customers with each and every delivery – and I couldn’t be more excited to lead the company into its next chapter,” Witherspoon said. “With momentum in our business and a talented, purpose-driven team, I’m confident Shipt will continue to stand out as the premier choice for same-day delivery for both our loyal customers and expanding network of retail partners.”
Caruso called her time at Shipt “one of the true highlights of my career.”
“I am grateful to the team for their dedication and drive, to our retailer partners for their partnership and trust they place in us each and every day, to the Birmingham community that has embraced all of us and to Shipt shoppers who are out in communities each and every day bringing the magic.”