Grocery retail technology company Instacart appoints Chris Rogers as Chief Executive Officer

Instacart has appointed Chris Rogers as Chief Executive Officer, effective 15th August. He’ll also join the grocery technology firm’s board of directors. Fidji Simo, the current CEO, will remain Chair of the board.

Rogers joined Instacart in 2019 and currently serves as Chief Business Officer, where he oversees all aspects of the company’s commercial operations, including retailer relationships and expansions, ad sales and R&D, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, Instacart Business, and Instacart Health.

“Over the last four years, we’ve transformed Instacart into a growing, profitable, leading technology platform that’s helping reshape the grocery industry. We’re building a generational company at the intersection of technology and food, and Chris is the right leader for our next chapter. He brings the kind of vision, operational excellence, and customer obsession that will help Instacart play an even bigger role in people’s lives - and I couldn’t be more excited to see how Chris scales the company’s impact from here,” says Simo.

“Instacart sits at the centre of how people shop, eat, and care for their families - and that’s always been what inspires me most about our mission. Together with our partners, we’re transforming the future of grocery shopping, but more importantly, we’re helping people solve real, everyday needs,” says Rogers. “We have a world class team, deep partnerships, leading technology, and a bold vision for the future, and I’m honored to step in and lead Instacart’s next chapter.”

“Having been part of Instacart’s journey for many years, I’ve seen firsthand how this company has grown through every chapter - with resilience, clarity, and an incredible team that will continue to thrive under Chris’ leadership,” says Ravi Gupta, Partner at Sequoia Capital and Instacart board member.

“This is one of the strongest and most mission-driven teams I’ve worked with, and their continued dedication to partners, customers and shoppers, as well as their long-term vision, gives me deep confidence in where Instacart is headed next.”

“On behalf of the board, I want to sincerely thank Fidji for her immense contributions to Instacart over the past four years. Fidji brought a bold vision and exceptional focus on execution, taking Instacart from a single purpose app to the leading grocery technology platform,” says Lily Sarafan, Lead Independent Director of the Instacart board. “We appreciate her dedication and ongoing commitment to the company as Chair of the board, and look forward to supporting Chris as CEO.” 

Rogers joined Instacart following nearly 11 years at Apple, where he served as the Managing Director for Apple Canada. He currently sits on the board of Spins, a data, analytics, and insights provider for the natural, organic, and wellness focused CPG and retail industries. He’s also a board member of the Ad Council, a nonprofit that leverages media, marketing, and partnerships to drive public service campaigns addressing critical social issues.

Fidji Simo

The departure of Simo (who is off to OpenAI) is a symptom of deeper tensions in grocery technology, says David Croushore, Director - Retail at AlixPartners. Despite strong growth in e-commerce across the sector, Instacart faces a crossroads, he argues.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: "Instacart's business model might be its greatest limitation. It acts as a middleman, yet grocery chains increasingly view it as competition for customer loyalty and data. This friction challenges long-term partnerships. At some point, Instacart may decide to become a retailer itself. Why should partners take the risk?"

He added: "With tight grocery margins, scaling delivery without eroding profitability is a high wire act. The frequency and aggressiveness of promotions keeps ramping up as Instacart and its rivals chase growth at the expense of unit economics. As consumer confidence wanes, expect even more pressure on margins in this vertical."

"Instacart's core business is grocery delivery, but they've lately expanded into areas spanning in-store tech to retail media. As competitors like DoorDash and Uber capture share of their core market, Instacart must decide what it wants to be when it grows up."

He concluded: "A shakeup at the top suggests the company needs to pivot, fast. But which direction should the new leadership go? Instacart’s future will hinge on answering one question: Can it remain a tech enabler for grocers while competing for the same end customer?"

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Grocery technology 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.