Instacart appoints senior vice president of operations

Grocery delivery specialist Instacart has appointed Mike Swartz as senior vice president of operations. Swartz, who was Amazon’s Director of Operational Excellence from 1998 to 2007, will oversee Instacart’s networks of contracted drivers and personal shoppers.

In an interview with Re/code which Instacart tagged on its own “Life at Instacart” Twitter feed, Swartz said: “I have a ton of experience working inside large fulfillment centers, but when you think about the challenge of Instacart, you have this distributed network of people — it’s like an external warehouse or fulfillment operation.”

“The people that work in the field are the face of Instacart. There’s a lot to be done to make sure every person in the field feels connected to the company and its values.”