Online catering marketplace ezCater has named former Lyft executive Ashwin Raj as its new CEO, replacing longtime chief executive and co-founder Stefania Mallett.
Mallett decided to step down as CEO after 16 years but will maintain her role on the company's board, according to a press release.
Raj will take over Aug. 14, bringing experience in growing online marketplaces. He was most recently EVP and head of Lyft's core rideshare business from 2021 to May 2023, guiding it through the pandemic and its aftermath. Before that, he worked in other roles at Lyft; was director of Amazon Pay; and held multiple leadership roles at Visa.
In a statement, Raj recognized the company's strong foundation and said the he intends to build on it by "going even deeper in addressing the needs of our customers and catering partners.
"Together, we will make ezCater the go-to brand for food for work.”
Stefania Mallett | Photograph courtesy of ezCater
Mallett co-founded ezCater along with Briscoe Rodgers in 2007 as a website for businesses to find catering for meetings. The Boston-based company now has more than 100,000 restaurants on its marketplace and customers in all 50 states. After struggling initially during the pandemic, ezCater bounced back in 2021 and grew bookings 87% year over year in 2022. Near the end of 2021, the company said it was planning to go public.
“From the start - 16 years ago - I’ve been building ezCater so that it could one day operate without me,” Mallett said in a statement. “Now’s the right time for both me and ezCater to enter new chapters. Ashwin is a strategic thinker and a long-term builder who shares our values, including our commitment to ‘going beyond helpful’ for our customers and partners. I’m confident he will lead ezCater through its next successes.”
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