Deann Evans says farewell to e-commerce giant Shopify after five year Europe focused run with company
Deann Evans has announced her departure from Shopify where she served as Managing Director, EMEA. She joined the company five years ago, having previously worked at the likes of GoToDigital, Mettrr, and Sizmek.
In a LinkedIn post, in which she did not reveal her next career move, she said: “Over the past four weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to step back, spend valuable time with my family, and reflect on what comes next. After five incredible years at Shopify, I am leaving the company.”
She added: “I’m immensely proud of what this team has accomplished during that time. Together, we’ve strengthened Shopify’s presence across Europe, grown our partner ecosystem, and brought new products and opportunities to merchants across the region. When I joined, Shopify was best known in Europe as the platform for small businesses. Today, it supports everyone from first time founders to some of the world’s largest enterprises. But entrepreneurship will always be in the company’s DNA.”
The opportunity ahead is significant, Evans believes. “AI is changing how people discover and buy products, and Shopify merchants are ready for this new era of agentic commerce. With more than one billion products structured for discovery in the Shopify Catalogue and partnerships opening new ways to sell across major AI platforms Shopify is helping merchants of every size embrace the future of commerce.”
She concluded: “None of this happens without an exceptional team. Their talent, ambition, and deep commitment to merchants and partners will continue to drive Shopify’s success across Europe. I’m grateful to every merchant, partner, colleague, and leader who has been part of my journey. Thank you for the trust, collaboration, and many memorable moments along the way. I’m excited to discover what comes next for me, and I’ll be cheering on Shopify as it continues to play the long game.”
So hot right now
Shopify is included in RTIH’s first ever Retail Technology Hot 100 List. Launching in August, this sees us bringing you the hottest companies whose solutions and systems are helping drive the retail sector forward.
Our Founder and Editor, Scott Thompson, drew up a list of 150 companies that had consistently been on his radar over the past 12 months whilst bringing our community the latest retail tech news and views that matter. These companies operate across the omnichannel retail landscape (stores, online, mobile, supply chain, payments etc).
Our judging panel, including Vineta Bajaj, Group CFO, Holland & Barrett, Dan McGrath, JD Group Customer Operations, JD Sports, Dr. Astha Purohit, Director of Product Management, Customer Data and Identity, Walmart, and Paula Bobbett, Chief Data and Digital Officer, Boots, provided feedback on those who have the most innovative, forward thinking technology offerings and are also best addressing retailers' current challenges, painpoints, and opportunities.
The judges used the following framework when making their picks:
1. Retailer problem fit - how meaningful, strategic, and widely felt the retailer pain being addressed is.
2. Production traction in retail (2025–2026) - real named retailer deployments, pilots.
3. Innovation and defensibility - genuine technical novelty paired with a defensible competitive position.
And there was also a public vote, with thousands of members of our community of retail tech enthusiasts getting involved. Thanks to all those who took part! Based on the judging panel's feedback and the public vote, we then drew up our first ever RTIH Retail Technology Hot 100.
So, without further ado, here are the 100 hottest global retail technology ventures right now. Drum roll, please…
