Internet grocer Peapod Inc said Monday that it has appointed Bill Malloy as its new president and chief executive. Malloy comes to Chicago-based Peapod from AT&T Corp’s $6bn wireless unit, where he most recently served as executive vice president of operations. He will also take a seat on Peapod’s board of directors. Malloy replaces Peapod co-founder Andrew Parkinson, who will retain his position as chairman of the company and focus on its long-term strategy and continuing business development.
The appointment of Malloy provides Peapod with a somewhat elevated profile – and follows last week’s announcement that San Francisco-based rival Webvan Group Inc had lured Andersen Consulting’s CEO away from the larger firm to head its budding business. In his eleven years with McCaw/AT&T Wireless, Malloy is credited with being one of the key architects of the AT&T Digital One Rate strategy, which was launched in May of last year and has since led to significant revenue growth for the company.
Peapod claims to be the first established player in the internet grocery arena and has operations in New England, the New York metropolitan area, the Midwest, Southwest and on the West Coast. Webvan has only launched its service in the San Francisco area so far but has plans for expansion to 26 markets nationwide it says.
