Hilary Schneider Becomes Shutterfly Head As Garrett Smallwood Gets Promoted To Wag! CEO

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 1, 2019
  • Hilary Schneider is departing from Wag! to become the CEO of Shutterfly as Garrett Smallwood is succeeding her

Hilary Schneider is departing from nationwide dog walking and board app company Wag! after nearly two years as CEO to head up photo retailer and manufacturing platform Shutterfly in the same position. And Wag! Vice President of Product, Partnerships, and Corporate Development Garrett Smallwood is getting promoted to CEO. Smallwood will also become a member of the board of directors at Wag! 

“Garrett is a key member of the Wag! management team,” said Schneider. “He has led efforts to diversify the company’s product offerings into such areas as drop-ins, day care, dog sitting and boarding, and scheduled and repeat walks.  He is also leading the execution of the company’s strategy of growing through channel partnerships, the first of which is Wag!’s recently announced relationship with Petco. He is the right leader to advance the company’s business priorities.”

Smallwood joined Wag! three years ago. Prior to joining Wag!, he was the co-founder and CEO of Finrise and Vetary.com — which provided point-of-sale financing options for health care treatments not normally covered by insurance, including veterinary services. Garrett was previously the VP of Operations at Pillow, now part of Expedia. And Smallwood was also an EIR at the NFX seed stage venture firm.

“We thank Hilary for establishing a solid platform for future growth and helping to ensure the wellbeing of pets in the company’s care by focusing on trust and safety,” added Jeffrey Housenbold, Managing Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers.

Wag! launched in 2015 and now it is available in 43 states and 110 cities. Plus Wag! services are insured and are backed by the 24/7 support of a dedicated Trust & Safety team.

“I am thrilled to lead Wag!’s continued transformation into a resilient, sustainable company,” explained Smallwood. “Wag! has a great brand, the best app, a talented team, and a community of pet caregivers who are committed to providing an excellent experience for pets and the families who love them. These are the building blocks for our future success.” 

Schneider’s position at Shutterfly starts on January 15, 2020, and she is succeeding Ryan O’Hara. And Schneider has over 20 years of experience leading consumer technology companies. Before Wag!, Schneider was President and CEO of identity theft protection company LifeLock. Plus Schneider also served in a series of executive positions at Yahoo! from 2006 to 2010 and in several senior leadership roles at Knight Ridder from 2002 to 2005.

“We are delighted to welcome Hilary to the Shutterfly team and are confident her management and technology experience make her ideally suited to lead the Company forward,” commented David Sambur, Chairman of the Shutterfly Board of Directors and Co-Lead Partner of Private Equity at Apollo. “A pioneer in the personalized photos and services space, Shutterfly has cultivated deep customer connections and is well-positioned for continued success. We look forward to supporting Hilary and the leadership team as we execute on our shared vision for Shutterfly.”

“Hilary is an accomplished executive with significant digital industry expertise and a focus on innovation and superior customer experiences that will support Shutterfly’s next chapter,” noted Reed Rayman of the Apollo Private Equity team and a member of Shutterfly’s Board of Directors. “We look forward to partnering with Hilary as well as the Shutterfly management team and employees to grow its three divisions and deliver the best products and services to consumers.”

Shutterfly also recently announced the appointment of Shutterfly’s Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Dwayne Black and President of Shutterfly’s Consumer Business James Hilt as Interim co-Chief Executive Officers during the transition period effective tomorrow.

Affiliates of investment funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management completed the acquisition of Shutterfly in late September 2019.