Freight Forwarder Flexport Signs On Top Amazon Exec as CEO

The CEO of Amazon's core Worldwide Consumer division has departed his post unexpectedly and will take up the top leadership role at Flexport, the growing digital freightforwarding platform. 

Dave Clark, the head of Amazon's massive online retailing platform, will depart on July 1 after 23 years with the company. His resume includes "building out Amazon's transportation network from scratch," particularly the company's sprawling network of fulfillment centers - no small feat considering that Amazon is the biggest online retailer in the world. 

In September he will become co-CEO of Flexport, alongside founder Ryan Petersen. After six months, Clark will take over from Petersen as sole CEO, and Petersen will move into the role of executive chairman of the board. 

“There’s a perfect complement of skill sets,” Petersen told Forbes. “Mine are much more creative, zero-to-one founder time, and Dave is the supreme executor and a legend in the supply chain world.”

Flexport is upending the freight-forwarding world with a digital platform that covers freight bookings, inventory financing, insurance and other services for businesses in over 110 countries. Its current valuation is about $8 billion, and it has backing from a who's-who of Silicon Valley VC firms. 

“[Flexport has] built a technology platform that solves for this challenging integration of technology and the physical world by connecting the entire ecosystem of global trade," said Clark. “This monumental accomplishment is empowering buyers, sellers, and logistics providers of all sizes to grow and scale. Ryan and his team have grown the business to an impressive size and scale and customers love it."