Etsy has made an appointment to its board of directors. Gary Briggs, currently at Facebook but due to retire soon, and previously of eBay and PayPal, is joining the top table. He says: “I have incredible respect for Josh (Silverman) and Etsy’s commitment to empowering a global community of creative entrepreneurs. As Etsy continues to refine its world-class marketing capabilities, I’m excited to support the growth of this community and the company’s overall business.”
It’s an obvious appointment which brings Etsy considerable expertise from an experienced tech and Silicon Valley veteran. Briggs joined Facebook from Google and in a retirement post announced he intended to help the Democratic Party.
Gary’s extensive marketing expertise will support management’s work driving creative thinking and execution across our organization, including helping to provide our 1.9 million creative entrepreneurs with new, innovative ways to start and grow their businesses. I’m delighted to welcome Gary onto the Board and look forward to his contributions to Etsy and our strong community.
– Josh Silverman, Etsy CEO
Silverman and Briggs certainly worked together at eBay and Paypal and probably knew each other well. Briggs has over 30 years of experience developing, directing and advising brand strategy for global companies, including Google, eBay, PayPal, IBM, McKinsey & Company and Pepsi-Cola USA. Gary Briggs has also served as Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Facebook since August 2013. He also sits on the advisory board of Lagunitas Brewing Company.
This is a good appointment for Etsy and brings in a stack of expertise from a marketing professional with significant experience in some big tech brands. Certainly Briggs’ understanding of Google and Facebook, as well as eBay and PayPal, could be extremely useful to the now resurgent Etsy. The marketplace does also need to revitalise marketing to further revitalise growth and Briggs brings much knowledge there too.
