Groupon Announces CFO Transition

Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN), a leading destination for local services & experiences, today announced the appointment of Jiri Ponrt as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Ponrt will succeed Damien Schmitz in that capacity and will become a member of the company’s Leadership Team. Mr. Ponrt intends to relocate to Chicago.

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Jiri Ponrt has been appointed to the role of Groupon's Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. (Photo: Business Wire)

Jiri Ponrt is joining Groupon from Pale Fire Capital, prior to which he served as CFO at Alza.cz one of the largest e-commerce players in Central and Eastern Europe with an annual turnover of $2 billion. Before this he spent 15 years at Danone/Nutricia, where he gained extensive experience both in a variety of financial and commercial roles.

“Jiri is a highly regarded CFO with an impressive track record of partnering with business leaders to successfully utilize financial data to inform operational decision making and strategy,” said Dušan Šenkypl, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Groupon. “A key part of his role will be to significantly improve internal processes, controls and financial reporting. Beyond his financial credentials, Jiri has the necessary leadership and communication skills to translate detailed information into clear, concise and accessible messaging, a vital skill as we look to unlock Groupon’s full potential and super-charge our transformation. I am excited to welcome Jiri to the management team. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Damien for over 10 years of service and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

“I am delighted to be joining Dušan and the team as they continue on their journey to make Groupon the leading destination for local services & experiences,” said Mr. Ponrt. “Following our January restructuring announcement and significant reduction of our fixed cost structure, it is time to accelerate our transformation from this solid base. Our focus will continue to be on operational excellence, embedding financial rigor throughout the business, streamlining and simplifying internal processes and providing decision support to key functions. It’s a fantastic opportunity and I look forward to working with the wider team to successfully execute our growth strategy and deliver the company’s transformation program.”