Shutterfly names Hilary Schneider to president, CEO

Shutterfly, Inc. appointed Hilary Schneider as president and CEO, effective Jan. 15, 2020, succeeding Ryan O’Hara, who had served as president and CEO since June. No reason was provided for O’Hara’s departure; the statement said he moves to a role as an advisor to parent company Apollo supporting “transactions in the technology and media sectors.”

The company also appointed Dwayne Black, Shutterfly’s senior vice president and chief operations officer, and Jim Hilt, President of Shutterfly’s Consumer Business, as Interim co-chief executive officers during the transition period, effective Dec. 2, 2019, until Schneider’s planned start date of Jan. 15.

Schneider has more than 20 years of experience leading consumer technology companies. Since January 2018, she has served as chief executive officer of Wag!, the country’s largest on-demand mobile dog walking and dog care service. Prior to this, she served as President and Chief Executive Officer of LifeLock, the leader in identity theft protection, through its public listing and acquisition by Symantec. Previously, Schneider served in a series of executive positions at Yahoo! from 2006 to 2010 and in several senior leadership roles at Knight Ridder from 2002 to 2005.

“We are delighted to welcome Hilary to the Shutterfly team and are confident her management and technology experience make her ideally suited to lead the Company forward,” said David Sambur, Chairman of the Shutterfly Board of Directors and co-lead partner of Private Equity at Apollo. “A pioneer in the personalized photos and services space, Shutterfly has cultivated deep customer connections and is well-positioned for continued success. We look forward to supporting Hilary and the leadership team as we execute on our shared vision for Shutterfly.”

“I have long admired Shutterfly’s consumer-focused mission and am honored to lead this pioneering company as we continue to enhance our brand to drive sustainable growth,” said Schneider. “Through our Consumer, Lifetouch, and Business Solutions divisions, Shutterfly remains at the forefront of a fast-growing photo and personalized products industry. Together with our thousands of talented employees, we will build on Shutterfly’s strong momentum by continuing to introduce new technology, expand our product offerings and increase customer engagement with innovative options for preserving and sharing photos.”

Schneider is the company’s second female president; marketing exec Jayne Spiegelman served as Shutterfly founding CEO for about a year following the company’s launch in Dec. 1999.