Shopify strengthens growth plans with new EMEA leadership appointments

Emilie Benoit-Vernay is now director of partnerships for the region, after spending time as head of partnerships in Southern Europe.

Her new role will see her “leading and growing” the partner ecosystem within Shopify’s EMEA markets, and she will oversee teams working with Shopify solutions and technology partners.

Meanwhile, Benjamin Lang joined Shopify in 2022 and his new role expands his responsibility from head of Northern Europe partnerships to oversee Northern Europe and Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

He has prior experience as French country manager for payment service provider Mollie, and his new role will see him “build the ecosystem” to help partners accelerate opportunities for more brands.

And Lara Rosquët begins her role as country lead for France and will be mainly responsible for expanding market growth and leading the team culture. She has held various roles at Shopify since her first appointment in 2016.

Ambitious expansion plans

The Europe, Middle East and Africa division makes up 27% of Shopify’s merchant base and has generated over $1.2bn in total revenue.

The continued investment in leadership is said to “benefit the company’s future growth plans” and “expansion into enterprise retail locally.”

Benoit-Vernay said: “EMEA is vital to Shopify’s ambitions to make commerce better for everyone, and I’m excited for the challenge of taking on a role that will empower our merchants and partners in the region to continue to grow.

Lang added: “We want to help our partners to build their business, and support their clients at every stage of the journey, regardless of scale or complexity.

“I’m confident that this leadership team is positioned well not just for Shopify’s success, but more importantly for our merchants and partners alike.”

Rosquët concluded: “France is a hugely entrepreneurial market, and we are focused on how we can enable entrepreneurs to innovate and focus on their customers. 

“The work of our merchants – businesses of all sizes up and down the country – is genuinely inspiring, and I believe that Shopify can help elevate their success like no other organisation can.”