Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Pinterest appoints Amazon’s Claudine Cheever as new CMO replacing Mallard, hires DoorDash’s Brown as first CBO
The GMA Admin
Pinterest has appointed Claudine Cheever as its new chief marketing officer and Lee Brown as its first-ever chief business officer, signaling a strategic push to scale global advertising and AI-driven commerce. Cheever, formerly Amazon’s VP of global brand and marketing, replaces Andréa Mallard—who recently joined Microsoft AI—while Brown steps in amid a leadership transition as longtime CRO Bill Watkins departs by Q1 2026 end.
Cheever’s role spans global marketing, creative, and communications, aligning with Pinterest’s evolution into an AI-powered shopping destination now serving 600 million monthly active users. She highlighted the platform’s unique blend of inspiration and action, drawing from her decade scaling Amazon’s marketing amid its e-commerce dominance.
New Chief Business Officer Consolidates Growth Functions
Brown, ex-chief revenue officer at DoorDash and former head of Spotify’s global ads (where he doubled growth), oversees sales, content, ads product marketing, programmatic efforts, and customer operations—all reporting to CEO Bill Ready. This newly created position aims to accelerate performance advertising and partnerships, especially with SMBs, as Pinterest bridges visual discovery with purchase intent.
Context of Leadership Shifts
The moves follow Mallard’s exit after seven years, during which Pinterest grew from startup to $4B+ annual revenue under Watkins. CEO Ready praised the hires for fueling the next growth phase, emphasizing AI enhancements in visual search and shopping that position Pinterest beyond “pretty pictures” into actionable commerce.
Pinterest’s Commerce Ambitions Take Shape
These appointments equip Pinterest to compete in a performance-first ad landscape, leveraging Brown’s revenue expertise and Cheever’s brand-building prowess. As Gen Z shifts to AI-guided discovery, expect bolder global campaigns and deeper advertiser integrations to cement its role as a positive, intent-driven internet corner.