Rent the Runway names new chief people officer, chief technology officer

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Jul 23, 2020

Rent the Runway has named Ellen Shultz as the company’s chief people officer and Larry Steinberg as its new chief technology officer.

Shultz comes to the role after most recently serving as executive vice president of talent and inclusion for The New York Times. In addition to holding the VP role, she served as a member of the NYT executive committee since 2016. Previously, she has served as vice president and head of human resources for Media General, and held multiple roles with Time Inc., including vice president, HR operations and HR systems and executive director of human resources, among others. 

According to Rent the Runway, Shultz "will play a critical role in accelerating Rent the Runway’s continued transformation of consumer behavior change."

She will begin in her new role on September 8.

“[Shultz] has a unique ability to create an inclusive, dynamic and people-centered culture across teams and has a proven track record developing strategies that deliver solutions to drive organizational excellence,” said Jennifer Hyman, Rent the Runway co-founder and CEO. 

“I am thrilled to have [Shultz] join our leadership team and look forward to leveraging her tremendous expertise as we continue our commitment to developing and fostering talent.”

Shultz currently sits on the board of directors for the Emma Bowen Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting and building a more diverse media industry.

Larry Steinberg first came to Rent the Runway as a consultant in May and transitioned to the full-time role of CTO in July. In his role, Steinberg is responsible for leading Rent the Runway’s technology strategy and the company’s future-focused technology innovations to maximize Rent the Runway’s impact with members and customers, the company said. 

During his career, Steinberg founded and operated enterprise management startup Engyro (formerly Dirigo), which was later acquired by Microsoft. Steinberg joined Microsoft in 2007, first serving as principle architect and later as development manager. He went on to serve as CTO and senior vice president of technology at Agilysys. As a member of the company's executive team, he helped transform the company from a traditional on-premise software business and technology to an SaaS based operation, Rent the Runway said. 

“[Steinberg] brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in technology start-ups, software and product development, and systems architecture,” said Hyman. We look forward to building systems to better leverage technology to drive growth and enhance our customer experience."