Wish names Foot Locker veteran Vijay Talwar new CEO

By

Benjamin Fitzgerald

Published
Feb 1, 2022

Mobile e-commerce platform Wish announced on Monday the appointment of Vijay Talwar as chief executive officer, effective February.

Talwar succeeds Wish's founder and former CEO, Piotr Szulczewski, who will continue to serve the company as a member of the board, said parent company ContextLogic, in a press release.

​In his role as CEO, Talwar will be responsible for leading the strategic execution of Wish’s turnaround plan, which focuses on improving the user and merchant experience through fun and entertaining features, technological innovations, and operational excellence, the San Francisco-based company said. He will also drive the longer-term growth plans for the business.

“Wish has all the ingredients to be a true leader in the ecommerce space - a great product, an engaging and entertainment-driven social platform, a strong user base, and a world-class team that is highly motivated to deliver on the turnaround plan,” said Talwar. “I am eager to apply my own experience within the retail and ecommerce space to further refine our focus and put the business back onto a path of growth. I firmly believe the best years for Wish are right ahead of us.”

Before joining Wish, Talwar served as CEO of Foot Locker’s Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) business, where he built a strong, customer-focused, omni-channel retail business and increased sales, profitability, and market share. Previously, as president of Foot Locker digital, he was crediting with repositioning the business as the fastest growing and most profitable segment within Foot Locker’s portfolio.

​“Vijay is a strong leader with a track record of leading complex multinational businesses through significant periods of change. His retail and ecommerce experience, which spans both publicly and privately held companies, will be invaluable to Wish as the company continues to refocus its efforts and execute on its ambitious turnaround plan,” said Szulczewski. “His appointment represents a significant inflection point in Wish’s journey - we’re excited for him to get started.”

The news comes on the back on a series of C-suite appointments at Wish, including Vivian Liu as the chief financial officer, Farhang Kassaei as chief technology officer and Tarun Jain as chief product officer, respectively.