Gopuff Hires an Exec to Fulfill International Ambitions

Gopuff has secured a new leader to help it grow abroad by hiring former Booking.com executive Bryan Batista as its SVP of International. When he joins the instant commerce company in March, he will report directly to its co-founders and co-CEOs Yakir Gola and Rafael IIishayev.

Batista’s new role places him in charge of the Philadelphia-based e-commerce and delivery platform’s international business strategy to drive its expansion in new and existing markets outside the U.S.

Gopuff made its first foray into foreign markets in May 2021 when it bought U.K. delivery platform Fancy. The company doubled down on its international expansion a few months later and purchased Dija, a delivery platform with a presence in three European countries.

Batista is a veteran Booking.com executive and has held a variety of roles since he joined the online travel giant in 2014. Most recently, he served as the CEO of Rentalcars.com and the SVP of Booking.com's Trips Division. He also held senior corporate development and global partnerships roles at the company.

"Bryan's deep expertise scaling companies around the world will be invaluable as we bring the Gopuff experience to new customers and markets worldwide,” Gola said in a press release. “We have a proven track record of strategic and successful expansion in the U.S. and Europe. We are confident that with Bryan on board, we are strongly positioned to continue to advance our global growth."

Batista added, “We've seen how quickly adoption has risen in the UK, and I look forward to repeating that success elsewhere in Europe and beyond with this incredible team."

Moving forward Batista will continue the company’s primary focus on expanding its presence in the U.K. and France. He will also lead the company’s plans to aggressively expand beyond those two European markets, which could mean Germany as Gopuff is reportedly interested in Berlin-based delivery startup Flink.