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Source: Gopuff

Bryan Batista says he hopes to repeat Gopuff’s success in the UK elsewhere

Rapid grocer Gopuff has appointed the CEO of car hire site Rentalcars.com as its senior vice president of international to lead the company’s global expansion.

Bryan Batista will “drive [Gopuff’s] expansion while amplifying its growing presence in existing markets outside of the US” when he begins in the role next month, the company said.

Batista has held a number of leadership positions with Booking.com which he joined in 2014. Most recently he was CEO of the brand’s Rentalcars.com business and head of its trips division. He was previously head of EU sales for Tesla and a consultant at McKinsey.

Based in the UK, Gopuff’s first region outside the US, Batista will report to company co-founders and co-CEOs Yakir Gola and Rafael IIishayev.

“Instant commerce is one of the most innovative and influential sectors today,” Batista said. “Joining the pioneer of the category to help build the business in international markets is an opportunity like none other. We’ve seen how quickly adoption has risen in the UK, and I look forward to repeating that success elsewhere in Europe and beyond with this incredible team.”

Having launched in the US in 2013, Gopuff acquired UK rapid grocery brands Fancy and Dija last year. The latter acquisition gave Gopuff presence in France and Spain to “double down” on European expansion.

“Bryan’s deep expertise scaling companies around the world will be invaluable as we bring the Gopuff experience to new customers and markets worldwide. We have a proven track record of strategic and successful expansion in the US and Europe. We are confident that with Bryan on board, we are strongly positioned to continue to advance our global growth,” said Yakir Gola.