Masters of Scale

Rapid Response: Pet adoptions: Up. Delivery business: Up. What that means to Chewy’s Sumit Singh

Apr 25, 2020

Sumit Singh, CEO of Chewy, shares insights on the surge in pet adoptions during the pandemic, driving unprecedented demand for pet supplies. He discusses the challenges of scaling operations rapidly, including plans to hire up to 10,000 new employees. Singh emphasizes the importance of communication and innovation within leadership, adapting strategies to ensure safety while enhancing customer experience. With initiatives like non-invasive temperature checks and unique employee appreciation programs, he outlines how companies can navigate crises successfully.

27:53

Episode guests

Sumit Singh

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Navigating Pet Adoption Trends Amidst COVID-19

9min

Innovative Temperature Monitoring in Warehouses

2min

Building from Scratch: The Entrepreneurial Leap and Workplace Evolution

4min

Navigating Change in Crisis

12min

Innovating Customer Service and Employee Appreciation in Rapid Times

4min

Pet adoptions have soared during the coronavirus lockdown, as people seek companionship and solace. For Chewy, the pet-supply company, that’s driving unprecedented demand. Ultra-rapid growth has its own set of challenges that CEO Sumit Singh is responding to by: hiring (at 13,000 employees, with plans to add another 6,000 to 10,000 by end of year); setting up a COVID task team that meets daily; instituting health and safety checks; rolling out customer-facing innovations in a weekend, and more. Why? Because a leader's job during a crisis, Singh says, is to first communicate with the team, and then innovate for a post-pandemic world. Interviewed by editor Bob Safian.

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