Williams was appointed Chief Operating Officer Groupon in June 2015. Prior to the COO role, Williams was President of North America since 2014, where he worked to solidify Groupon\u2019s playbook in the United States during a critical part of the company\u2019s transition to a full mobile local commerce marketplace. In this role, he helped steer North America to five consecutive quarters of double-digit growth. He joined the company in June 2011 as Senior Vice President of Marketing with nearly 20 years of experience.<\/p>\n \u201cCracking the code in local commerce is not easy. We\u2019ve come a long way in building a leading local commerce marketplace in the last two years,\u201d said Lefkofsky. \u201cWith his deep experience in e-commerce \u2014 both in and outside of Groupon \u2014 and expertise in marketing, operations and technology, Rich was the obvious choice to lead Groupon.\u201d<\/p>\n During Lefkofsky\u2019s tenure revenue grew 32 percent from $2.3 billion in 2012 to $3.1 billion in 2015 on a trailing-12-month basis, while adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow stabilized.<\/p>\n \u201cI am honored to be leading the company as Groupon evolves into a daily habit in our customers\u2019 lives,\u201d said Rich Williams. \u201cUnder Eric, we made significant strides in establishing our marketplace. That work will continue with a greater focus than ever. As CEO, my top priority is to unlock the long-term growth potential in the business by demonstrating everything the new Groupon has to offer. We have a great team here and I look forward to the opportunities ahead of us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRich is the right and natural choice for Groupon\u2019s future, and he has the unanimous support of the Board of Directors. We are fully confident we have identified the best leader for our employees, customers, partners and shareholders,\u201d said Ted Leonsis, outgoing Chairman of the Board and newly appointed Lead Independent Director. \u201cOver the last two years, Eric has worked tirelessly for the company and the business is much stronger today because of it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Groupon, Inc. announced today that its Board of Directors has appointed Rich Williams as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Williams succeeds Eric Lefkofsky, Groupon\u2019s co-founder, who has been Groupon\u2019s CEO since August 2013. Lefkofsky will return to the role of Chairman of the Board, also effective immediately. \u201cI\u2019m …<\/p>\n![\"Rich](\"https:\/\/eastwind.es\/marketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/Groupon_Rich_Williams_CEO_rotada.jpg\")
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