Vesselina Markova-Kauffmann steps into Director Retail role at Pinterest

Pinterest has appointed Vesselina Markova-Kauffmann as Director Retail. She has been with the company for just over a year, having previously served as Head of Fashion & E-Commerce Industry.

Markova-Kauffmann joined in 2024 from TikTok where she worked on its TikTok Shop offering.

In a LinkedIn post, she said: “New year, new role. I will be working with retailers across all major categories - home, grocery, fashion, and e-commerce pure players - to shape sustainable growth strategies in today’s complex retail environment.”

She added: “My focus will be on leading a fantastic team, building strong partnerships, and scaling how Pinterest drives both brand impact and measurable business results. Looking forward to collaborating closely with our teams and partners across the retail ecosystem.”

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Social commerce will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards will open for entries in April. They celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 15th October.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.