Groupon sales chief Rajen Ruparell has stepped down from the day to day operations, says a report from Re/code, which cites a source aware of the company’s internal matters. Ruparell, who was an entrepreneur before joining Groupon, held various important positions in the company such as heading up the national sales team.
Ruparell and Groupon
Ruparell’s love for entrepreneurial venture could be a reason for his exit, says Re/code. Before stepping down from the post, Ruparell worked in the capacity of senior vice president of global partnerships at Groupon. He was heading the national sales team and reported directly to Rich Williams, the company’s president of North America. With Ruparell leaving the company, the national sales team will report to Simon Goodall, who was previously the vice president of travel, according to a spokesman. However, Ruparell will stick with the company as an adviser.
Before working with Groupon, Ruparell started a company that sold physical products at discount. He entered Groupon in 2010 after the daily deals company acquired that company, which was CityDeal.
In a separate news, Groupon communications boss Pail Taaffe will also leave the company in the first half of 2015 to become CEO of London-based PR firm Huntsworth.
Groupon making a comeback
Groupon has recently been able to surge marginally from its past lows with better revenue and growth reflecting the success story it wrote in the early days. CEO Eric Lefkofsky is firing on all cylinders to speed growth by transforming the platform into a giant marketplace from a daily email company.
Recently Groupon shares surged on the back of rumors about a potential sale of Ticket Monster. A South Korean newspaper, The Korea Times, reported that Groupon’s Ticket Monster could be bought by Goldman Sachs. This past October, analysts were informed that the company was weighing various options for Ticket Monster, which was acquired by it for $260 million.
Groupon is set to release its fourth quarter earnings next month, and analysts expect it to post earnings of 3 cents per share on $910 million revenue. Shares of the company have shot up 33% to $8 per share since the end of October following better-than-expected third quarter results.
