August 02, 2010

Kaboodle names Zehren CEO

Social shopping website Kaboodle hired Anne Zehren as its CEO, effective August 2. She replaced Manish Chandra, one of the site's founders, who left to pursue new business opportunities, according to media company Hearst, the site's owner.

Zehren's responsibilities will include managing Kaboodle's overall operations, advancing its social shopping strategy and developing the brand's existing management team.

She most recently served as president and COO of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that reviews and rates media and entertainment for parents. She also previously served as president of Current TV.

“We had a full recruitment process utilizing a recruiting firm,” said Ken Bronfin, president of Hearst Interactive Media. “[Zehren] was selected because she is well known as a smart, charismatic and entrepreneurial business leader, and her background and expertise were a perfect match with Kaboodle's requirements. That is, she has a very potent blend of brand expertise, knowledge of Kaboodle's core demographic, Internet experience, sales experience and organizational leadership.”

She will report directly to Bronfin and John Loughlin, EVP and general manager of Hearst Magazines. Kaboodle allows its members to discover products and recommend them to others. The site launched in 2006 and was acquired by Hearst in August 2007.

While Zehren worked for Common Sense Media, the company's revenues doubled and unique visits to the site quadrupled, according to a news release from Hearst.