Recipe box brand Gousto has appointed eBay veteran Murray Lambell as its chief customer officer.
Lambell has spent the past 16 years with the online auction site, most recently as general manager of global business selling, having been general manager of eBay UK from 2020 to 2023. He previously served in loyalty & retention and commercial & strategy roles, and also sits on the board at GS1.
The appointment comes as Gousto “looks to capture even more of the mainstream dinner market” following a return to profitability in 2023, when it reported a record underlying EBITDA of £26m.
As CCO, Lambell will oversee the company’s insights, brand, sustainability, acquisition & retention, food, buying and customer care teams.
“We are deeply customer-obsessed at Gousto and Murray’s wealth of experience and dedication to the customer will help take this to the next level, enhancing the overall customer experience,” said Timo Boldt, Gousto’s CEO & founder. “His passion for inclusion, care, and collaboration aligns perfectly with our culture, and together we’ll create even more value for our customers while staying laser-focused on our purpose.”
Lambell’s appointment comes as Sally Matthews moves from the Gousto CCO role to chief strategy officer, where she will be “advising on long-term growth opportunities”, the company said. Meanwhile, Gousto chief technology officer Shaun Pearce’s role expands to chief product & technology officer, where he’ll be responsible for digital product and proposition development in addition to technology and data functions.
“I love the Gousto product and have followed the impressive growth journey Timo and his team have taken the business on,” Lambell said. “The culture and passion of all the teams in the business is hugely inspiring and I’m really looking forward to being part of this.
“There’s an enormous opportunity ahead for Gousto and I’m excited to support this next stage of the journey, bringing more delicious Gousto meals to even more dinner tables,” he added.
Gousto returned to profitability last year after putting the Brakes on growth and prioritising margins. It followed a 2% year-on-year sales decline in 2022 – when it suffered an underlying loss of £8m – as nine years of rapid growth came to an end.
The brand claims to be the only recipe box firm to offer boxes for one, two, three, four and five people, expanding its addressable market. In June, it expanded outside Britain for the first time, taking its offering to Northern Ireland.
Last month, the company broke cover on Bento, a tech-focused spin-off company which “absolutely could be bigger than Gousto”, its chief customer officer told The Grocer. Bento is already working with several merchants under NDA, but named personalised petfood brand Blink as an early adopter.
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