Company Expands Lanny Baker’s Role to Chief Operating and Financial Officer; Welcomes Samantha Wu as Chief Marketing Officer
Eventbrite (NYSE: EB), a global marketplace for shared experiences, today announced the appointment of Lanny Baker, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, to the expanded role of Chief Operating and Financial Officer, effective immediately. Eventbrite also welcomes experienced consumer marketing executive Samantha Wu as its new Chief Marketing Officer, effective September 4, 2024.
In this expanded capacity, Baker will spearhead business operations, cross-functional performance and resource optimization. He will lead Eventbrite’s global sales, customer success and sales operations teams to help event creators worldwide grow their businesses, and help consumers discover unique live experiences. He will continue to lead the company’s global finance function, including financial planning, accounting and reporting, tax, and treasury.
Prior to joining Eventbrite in 2019, Baker was the Chief Financial Officer of Yelp, where he led corporate finance, accounting, investor relations and workplace functions. He previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of ZipRealty from 2010 to 2016 after joining the company in 2008 as Chief Financial Officer.
Today, Eventbrite also announced the appointment of Samantha Wu as its new Chief Marketing Officer. Wu most recently served as Chief Marketing Officer of Braintrust, and has held marketing leadership roles at Meta/Facebook, Visa, and American Express. She brings more than two decades of award-winning, full-stack marketing experience to Eventbrite. At Braintrust, she created a holistic brand and community strategy, and at Meta, Wu led global consumer brand and product marketing for the Facebook App, launching Facebook’s first brand campaign “More Together.” Wu will succeed Tamara Mendelsohn after her 15-year tenure with Eventbrite.
“As we evolve into a two-sided marketplace, I’m excited to expand Lanny’s role, and welcome Sam to our executive team,” said Julia Hartz, Eventbrite Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “Lanny consistently demands and delivers operational excellence, and Sam brings invaluable experience leading teams through transformation and hypergrowth. Their leadership will help Eventbrite drive sustainable long-term growth and value for our customers and shareholders. I also want to thank Tamara for her dedication and invaluable contributions to Eventbrite which have been instrumental to us achieving exceptional brand awareness and growth.”
The expansion of Lanny Baker’s role to Chief Operating and Financial Officer and the addition of Samantha Wu as Chief Marketing Officer underscore the company’s commitment to growth and scale of the marketplace.
About Eventbrite
Eventbrite is a global events marketplace that serves event creators and event-goers in nearly 180 countries. Since its inception, Eventbrite has been at the center of the experience economy, transforming how people organize and attend events. The company was founded by Julia Hartz, Kevin Hartz and Renaud Visage, with a vision to build a self-service platform that would make it possible for anyone to create and sell tickets to live experiences. With over 300 million tickets distributed for over 5 million events in 2023, Eventbrite is where people worldwide discover new things to do or new ways to do more of what they love. Eventbrite has also earned industry recognition as a top employer with special designations that include a coveted spot on Fast Company’s prestigious The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies and Fast Company’s Brands That Matter lists, the Great Place to Work® Award in the U.S., and Inc.'s Best-Led Companies honor. Learn more at www.eventbrite.com.
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