Petco Appoints New Chief Digital and Innovation Officer

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Press release: Petco

Petco announced Darren MacDonald will join the company as Chief Digital and Innovation Officer, effective June 10. Darren will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company’s digital business, including e-commerce, the Petco App, prescription fulfillment and a growing employer wellness benefits offering, while driving a continued focus on incubating new ideas and furthering innovation across the company.

“Petco is committed to delivering an elevated omnichannel experience for pet parents,” said Petco CEO Ron Coughlin. “Darren’s impressive background in digital strategy and e-commerce growth will be an incredible asset to the Petco leadership team, as we continue to power innovative digital platforms to create an unparalleled experience for customers.”

MacDonald brings 20 years of global digital strategy and business development experience to Petco, and has served in senior roles with Walmart, IAC and Avery Dennison Corporation.

“It’s a transformational time in the world of retail and I’m honored to be joining the Petco team at this stage of the company’s reinvention,” said MacDonald. “Petco is a powerful brand with a track record of thought leadership, exemplified most recently by its bold decision to remove artificial ingredients from dog and cat food and treats. Today’s omnichannel shopper expects a best-in-class digital experience – I’m excited to help accelerate growth and innovation within Petco and the retail category as a whole.”

Prior to joining Petco, MacDonald managed Walmart’s US e-commerce entertainment business where he grew market share and oversaw merchandising, planning, supply chain, marketing, business development, site experience, finance, human resources, product and engineering teams. He also launched two entirely new business lines within the company’s digital entertainment division, and developed and launched three new private label brands. Additionally, MacDonald was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ingress Capital Incorporated, where he conceived and built an online private placement marketplace that raised millions of dollars for high-quality issuing companies from a network of high-net worth and institutional investors. Prior to that, he was CEO of the Pronto Network for IAC where he developed the web’s most trafficked shopping comparison engine of its time.

MacDonald holds bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of California, Los Angeles. He will be based at Petco’s National Support Center in San Diego and report directly to Coughlin.