How Pinterest's C-Suite Shakeup Pushes AI-Powered Strategy

Pinterest has reshaped its senior leadership team as it pushes further into AI-powered shopping, appointing two new executives to roles that CEO Bill Ready says are central to the platform's next phase of growth.

As reported by Axios, the company has hired Lee Brown as its first Chief Business Officer (CBO) and Claudine Cheever as its new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).

The appointments come as Pinterest positions itself as a global AI-driven shopping destination, with a growing focus on younger users.

Lee, formerly of DoorDash and Spotify, will oversee all customer-facing operations, including sales, advertising and content. Claudine joins from Amazon, where she spent more than a decade in senior marketing roles. Both execs will report directly to Bill.

A consolidated commercial push 

Lee's newly created role is designed to bring together Pinterest's commercial operations at a time when the company sees multiple avenues for monetisation.

His remit includes expanding the platform's advertising business globally, deepening relationships with small and medium-sized businesses, and scaling Pinterest's content business as a source of revenue.

According to Axios Bill said of the new role: "The new Chief Business Officer role brings together all customer-facing touch-points at a moment where we have a number of new revenue opportunities."

Several senior leaders will now report to the new CBO, including Chief Content Officer Malik Ducard and Julie Towns, who leads ads product marketing.

With Lee's arrival, Pinterest's long-time Chief Revenue Officer Bill Watkins will depart after more than a decade at the company.

Lee said his career across customer-facing platforms has prepared him for Pinterest's next stage. "Whether its Spotify, DoorDash or BuzzFeed - at all of these companies, I've turned consumer demand to strong advertising opportunities by deepening client relationships, customer operations and content partnerships," he said.

Reflecting on his most recent role, he added that DoorDash gave him "a front row seat to how world-class operators execute".

Marketing a platform built on positivity 

Claudine's appointment as CMO reflects Pinterest's desire to sharpen how it communicates its positioning to both users and investors. According to Axios, Bill says the company believes there is more opportunity to tell its story as shopping and commercialisation accelerate on the platform.

"We think there's a much better story for us to tell, from a marketing perspective, that goes along with that shopping and commercialisation growth," he said.

Despite Pinterest's operational momentum, investor sentiment has remained cautious, largely due to broader concerns about the advertising market. The CEO said that Claudine can help articulate why Pinterest's approach - which emphasises positive experiences - is commercially viable.

"By tuning AI for positivity and rejecting engagement via enragement," Bill said, Pinterest can be a brand "that can make a lot more".

Claudine said her focus will be on helping marketers understand how Pinterest now uses AI to personalise relevance in a way that feels helpful rather than intrusive. She said the platform is positioned to "really automate and personalise that relevance, and it will never feel creepy or weird. It will feel rich and useful".

In her new role, she will also oversee a new consumer marketing campaign that is already in development, aimed at positioning Pinterest as a visual search platform people actively want to use and shop on.

Leadership changes tied to long-term strategy

The hires come as Pinterest continues to report strong user and revenue growth under Bill, who joined the company three years ago. The platform has recorded nine consecutive quarters of record user figures, according to Axios, and has grown more international and younger, with Gen Z users representing a significant and increasing share of its audience.

In a LinkedIn post announcing the appointments, Bill said: "Over the past three and a half years, we've made significant progress at Pinterest: reaching a record 600 million MAU, turning Pinterest into an AI-powered shopping destination and performance ad platform.

"We've done all of this while putting positivity and user well-being at the centre of our reason for being."

He added: "It's an important moment for us as we continue to grow our business globally," and he said he was "confident that with the addition of Lee and Claudine, we will reach new heights and continue to win market share".

Together, the C-suite changes reinforce Bill's broader strategy to shift Pinterest from passive inspiration to actionable, AI-driven shopping - a move designed to resonate with Gen Z users who are increasingly seeking platforms that blend utility, commerce and positive digital experiences.