BigCommerce Names New CEO

Company President Travis Hess will succeed Brent Bellm as chief executive.

BigCommerce
Screenshot 2024 10 04 At 1 52 22 Pm
BigCommerce

AUSTIN, Texas — BigCommerce Holdings Inc., an open SaaS, composable e-commerce platform for fast-growing and established B2C and B2B brands and retailers, announced Wednesday the appointment of Travis Hess as CEO.

Brent Bellm will no longer serve as CEO of the company or as chairman of the board. The board elected Hess as a director of the company to fill the vacancy created by Bellm’s departure. Current board member Ellen Siminoff will assume the role of executive chair of the board, effective immediately.

Hess has a proven track record of helping businesses drive top-line growth and profitability. He joined BigCommerce as president in May 2024 and previously held senior leadership roles at leading global commerce agencies and consultancies such as Accenture, where he led the firm’s direct-to-consumer commerce offering and go-to-market strategy. While at Accenture, Hess also managed Accenture’s Shopify partnership globally. He has served on partner advisory boards for Shopify, Klaviyo, SAP/Hybris, and Rackspace and was recognized as one the 30 Most Influential in E-commerce by Signifyd in 2022.

Prior to his time at Accenture, Hess was the executive vice president at The Stable, a leading omnichannel commerce agency that was acquired by Accenture, as well as the chief commercial officer and then chief executive officer of BVA, one of the most recognized global DTC and Shopify agencies, which was acquired by The Stable in December 2021.

Hess is now responsible for leading BigCommerce’s global operations and for the overall success and growth of the business.

“It’s been an amazing journey at the helm of BigCommerce, and I’m incredibly proud of everything that we have accomplished as a company over the past nine plus years,” said Bellm. “There is a tremendous opportunity ahead for BigCommerce, and Travis is the perfect leader to take the company through its next phase of growth. I look forward to helping the team as we make this transition.”

“Brent has been a critical part of BigCommerce’s success and we are forever grateful for his leadership and all that he has done to push the company to where it is today,” said Siminoff. “The market has evolved tremendously over the past decade, and under Travis’ leadership, we are perfectly positioned to stay a step ahead of the competition and continuously drive value for our vast and growing customer base.”

“Brent and the entire BigCommerce team have done an incredible job building the business for nearly a decade, and I am honored to take on this new role at one of the most exciting companies in ecommerce today,” said Hess. “At BigCommerce, we have an incredible base of customers, employees and partners coupled with a robust and differentiating suite of capabilities. The opportunity ahead of us is huge and nothing short of exciting. I look forward to working side-by-side with our team to help our customers get the most out of our offerings, and bring our business through its next phase of growth.”

As part of the announcement, BigCommerce reaffirms its financial guidance for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 as previously provided on Aug. 1.

More in Staffing Changes