Zalando has incorporated former Amazon and Uber executive Tom Christenson as the new senior vice president with the mission of giving an additional boost to its business-to-business (B2B) activities, the company announced this Wednesday.
The appointment, effective since the 15th of this month, strengthens the executive team of the group. The firm has emphasized that this arrival is part of Zalando's strategy to advance in the creation of a differential e-commerce operating system that allows brands and retailers to grow and expand in the European market.
With a "broad trajectory" in the launch and expansion of technology companies and marketplaces, Christenson takes charge of Zalando's global B2B strategy, a division that surpassed 1 billion euros in revenue in 2025 and served more than 1,200 merchants.
An operating system to simplify e-commerce
Through this business line, Zalando makes its logistics network, software, and service capabilities available to brands and retailers to help them grow across Europe and reduce the operational complexity of cross-border e-commerce.
This modular operating system is supported by several solutions. Among them is 'ZEOS', which facilitates brands' access to the logistics network and Zalando's services to sell their products across multiple channels; 'Tradebyte', which connects brands and retailers with international marketplaces and sales channels; and 'Scayle', which provides the necessary technology to manage their own online stores.
Zalando has emphasized that Christenson's arrival adds a "solid trajectory" in the development of technology companies and marketplaces. After his initial roles in strategy and operations, he joined Amazon, where he created "Seller Fulfilled Prime" and contributed to turning it into a global program.
Subsequently, he drove "Uber Freight" in Europe, leading its strategic combination with sennder Technologies and serving as the chief operating officer (COO) of the resulting company during a period of strong growth. Later, he was the CEO of TBAuctions, a European B2B marketplace specialized in industrial assets.
Throughout his career, he has assembled multidisciplinary teams in technology, product, business development, and operations, with "special attention to creating solid business models".
The co-CEO of Zalando, David Schröder, to whom Christenson will report, has emphasized that "Tom has dedicated his professional career to building solid 'marketplaces' and the services that help sellers grow in them, so he fits perfectly at a time when they are accelerating their B2B vision to build the operating system of e-commerce in fashion and lifestyle."
"He will lead the overall B2B strategy and work closely with the teams from 'ZEOS', Tradebyte, and 'Scayle' to provide brands and retailers with a unique integrated approach to logistics, software, and services," he added.
In practice, Christenson will promote closer coordination among the three platforms (ZEOS, 'Tradebyte', and 'Scayle'), whose management teams will begin to operate jointly under a unified B2B leadership structure.
The development of the B2B business constitutes "one of the pillars" of Zalando's roadmap, along with the business-to-consumer (B2C) activity, two areas that, according to the company, reinforce each other reciprocally.