Eric French departs Deliveroo and Chief Operating Officer position to explore next chapter in his career

Eric French is leaving Deliveroo where he has spent almost five years, most recently holding the position of Chief Operating Officer.

He joined the food and grocery delivery firm, which recently agreed a £2.9 billion takeover by its US rival DoorDash, from Amazon where, over the course of almost 16 years, he held such positions as Vice President - US Consumables.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: "Hard to believe, but this is my final week at Deliveroo. Things have been in the works since last fall when Will (Shu, Co-founder and CEO) and I first had a discussion about my desire to explore my next chapter. Even with a long transition, moments like this still sneak up on you."

"Over the past few weeks, I’ve spent some time thinking back to the company that I joined in January 2021 and comparing it to where we are now. It’s a funny combination of unrecognizably different and exactly the same. When I joined, we were a private company in hyper-investment mode, delivering almost entirely restaurant food in the middle of Covid lockdowns.”

“Fast forward to today - we are a free cash flow positive, public company with significantly more process and discipline (still room to go!) delivering everything from burgers to £205 power tools. I’m proud of what the Deliveroo team has delivered over the past four years, and it’s been an incredible opportunity to have been a part of it."

He added: "For all that’s changed, what makes Deliveroo special are the things that haven’t. The core elements of Deliveroo’s culture - customer centricity, detail orientation, the desire to win, and relentlessness - are what drew me to the company.  They remain the DNA of the company, and I have no doubt that without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

“The other aspect of Deliveroo that has remained consistent is the calibre of the people. As I’ve said before, a large part of our success is owed to the incredible talent at Deliveroo. It is truly unique, and I feel honored to have been a part of it. Stay tuned for what’s next from me."

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Food and grocery delivery will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.