Deliveroo is beefing up its tech and data science operations by drafting in Amazon global supply chain chief Devesh Mishra – who has been with the business 16 years – to lead the food delivery giant’s strategy to build “best-in-class technology”.
In July, the business said it was creating more than 400 top tech jobs over the next 12 months, including roles for data scientists, software engineers and designers, as part of plans to usher in a raft of innovations to improve the experience of its three constituents of restaurants, riders and customers.
Now Mishra has been brought in to spearhead this drive as chief product and technology officer, and will be have responsibility for Deliveroo’s engineering, data science, design and product development functions.
Starting in early September, he will report directly to chief executive Will Shu, and sit on the company’s executive team.
Deliveroo chief technology officer Dan Winn will continue in his role, working closely with Mishra, while current chief product officer, Akshay Navle, is leaving the company to join an unnamed fintech scale-up.
Most recently, Mishra has been vice-president of the global supply chain at Amazon, overseeing a team of thousands of engineers, data scientists and product managers, operating a supply chain spanning 185 markets.
It is claimed he has overseen the creation of the world’s most technologically advanced supply chain, using data analytics, predictive technology and machine learning to scale Amazon’s retail and marketplace business.
Prior to this, as director for Amazon’s WW inventory buying and sourcing, he was responsible for over 200 product lines in nine countries, supporting over $40bn of revenue.
Will Shu said: “Devesh is a world class tech talent and we are delighted that he is joining the team. He has unique and unmatched experience in how technology can help to scale a business and deliver world-leading consumer experiences. He will help take Deliveroo to the next stage in our journey.
“Devesh will work with the team to ensure we are delivering unique experiences for our consumers, restaurant and grocery partners, and riders, as well as developing new innovations as we seek to become the definitive online food company.”
Mishra’s appointment coincides with Deliveroo’s latest results which show demand for its services has strengthened despite Covid restrictions easing. Orders doubled to 148.8 million in the first half of this year, while the value of its transactions also doubled.
Meanwhile, the company narrowed its pre-tax losses to £104.8m, compared with £128.4m during the same period last year.
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