Shantel
Key Takeaways:
- Kite, a next-gen commerce company, strengthens its leadership team with new CPTO Michael Hart and CFO Markus Leunig.
- Rob Solomon, CEO of Kite, expresses high confidence in the transformative potential of the newly-assembled leadership team.
- Kite continues to diversify its talent across various departments, aiming to redefine commerce.
- The newly-appointed leaders bring robust experience and a history of success from industry giants such as Amazon, Walker Edison, and The North Face.
About Kite:
Founded in 2022 by Rob Solomon, Juxtapose, and Blackstone, Kite is a futuristic commerce company focusing on scaling high-potential brands across multiple channels, including e-commerce, social media, and retail. Kite aims to build a modern technology stack leveraging AI and the API economy, targeting excellence in manufacturing, supply chain, design, and customer acquisition at scale. The company also plans to make strategic Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) to offer brands the resources they need for exponential growth.
A Strategic Assembly of Leadership Talent
Kite’s CEO, Rob Solomon, couldn’t have put it better:
“The foundation of an exceptional company lies in the brilliance of its people.”
The company has ramped up its efforts in assembling a “powerhouse team” with the latest additions of Michael Hart as the Chief Product & Technology Officer (CPTO) and Markus Leunig as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
The Technological Wizard: Michael Hart
Michael Hart, the newly minted CPTO, is no stranger to the realms of technology and product development. Before Kite, he demonstrated his expertise as VP of Product at data analytics platform Fletch. He also led product and engineering teams at tech titans such as Amazon, Netflix, and Microsoft. Moreover, he made significant contributions as the first CTO at B2C e-commerce pioneer Bonobos, where he spearheaded their first product development team and significantly improved e-commerce site sales.
In his new role, Hart will be instrumental in harnessing the power of AI and the API economy to build Kite’s modern technology stack, aiming to revolutionize various business functions like manufacturing, supply chain, and design.
The Financial Strategist: Markus Leunig
With over 13 years at VF Corporation and key leadership roles at Walker Edison and The North Face, Markus Leunig brings a plethora of experience in financial and operational best practices to Kite. During his tenure as the Global CFO of The North Face, the brand achieved record revenues and gross margins.
Leunig will now be wielding his financial acumen to steer Kite’s economic resources effectively, thereby playing a pivotal role in the company’s scale and growth.
Adding More Feathers to the Cap: Other Leadership Appointments
Kite’s talent infusion isn’t limited to technology and finance. The company has made key hires across various functions:
- John Kufner joins as Chief Operations Officer, bringing invaluable experience from Bain Capital Portfolio Group and Fortune Brands.
- Nastasha Tan assumes the role of Chief Design Officer, leveraging her previous leadership roles at Ideo and Uber.
- Candice Taylor, with a rich background in people management at ChowNow and Orum.io, is the new Vice President of People.
Moreover, Kite’s board of directors now includes industry veterans like James Chen, former CTO of Flexport, and Mark Mitchke, President and CEO of Delta Dental.
Why These Appointments Matter: An Inflection Point in Kite’s Journey
Kite is not just focusing on being another player in the commerce sector; it aims to redefine it. Building a robust leadership team is a pivotal step in setting the stage for this transformation. The amalgamation of diverse talent across tech, finance, supply chain, design, and more is bound to accelerate Kite’s journey to become a leading “every channel” commerce platform.
In Summary: A Bright Horizon Awaits
Kite’s new leadership appointments signify a momentous step in the company’s journey to become a behemoth in next-generation commerce. With a leadership team studded with industry veterans and a CEO who is “more confident than ever,” Kite is indeed poised “not just to innovate but to redefine and shape the next era of commerce.”
By harnessing AI, modernizing technological infrastructure, and leveraging extensive industry experience, Kite is ready to embark on a path that could redefine how we perceive and engage with commerce in the digital age. It seems the sky is not the limit for Kite; it’s just the beginning.
