As Blue Apron continues to add new offerings like breakfast and single-serve items to its portfolio, it’s also growing its product team. The meal kit company has appointed Josh Friedman as chief product officer, effective April 18.
In this recently-created c-suite role, Friedman will head up Blue Apron’s product strategy across several functions. He will oversee efforts in the areas of fulfillment, culinary and digital product, among other responsibilities.
Friedman joins Blue Apron from The Neiman Marcus Group, where he served as head of digital products. His retail background also includes positions at JCPenney and Dell, where he led product, digital, e-commerce, marketing analytics and omnichannel operations and teams.
A graduate of the MBA and undergraduate accounting programs at The University of Texas at Austin, Friedman served on the advisory board for the Digital Council at the National Retail Federation, and the University of North Texas Global Digital Retailing Research Center.
“Josh’s strengths in weaving digital experiences around unique physical products combined with his experience growing e-commerce, fulfillment environments as well as transforming a product-driven culture cross-functionally will be a great addition to our established leadership team,” said Linda Findley, Blue Apron’s president and CEO to whom Friedman will report. “His exceptional record in team building, leadership, growing direct businesses, marketing technology, and data-driven product strategy will be an asset, and I look forward to his contribution to the business.”
Friedman, for his part, said that he is looking forward to joining Blue Apron at a time of growth and expansion, both from a product and reach standpoint. “The team has established a strong foundation for the business and I am excited to work with them to build on top of the great work that has already been done,” he remarked.