The Logistics Matters podcast: Arun Rajan of C.H. Robinson on Generative AI in transportation | Season 5 Episode 24

Arun Rajan serves as the chief strategy and innovation officer at C.H. Robinson. In this role, Rajan leads the product, technology, data science, and analytics organizations, with a mission to align business strategy, technological innovation, and execution.

Rajan joined C.H. Robinson in September 2021 as chief product officer and subsequently served as chief operating officer (COO). Prior to joining Robinson, Rajan was the chief technology officer (CTO) of Whole Foods Market, part of Amazon, where he led the creation and execution of the technology strategy for a large-scale move from a legacy technology landscape and ways of working to modern engineering practices and a technology landscape that heavily leveraged AWS/Amazon technology.

Rajan also held leadership positions at Zappos, through its acquisition by Amazon, serving as COO from 2014 to 2019 and CTO from 2009 to 2013. As Zappos COO, Rajan was accountable for the financial performance of Zappos and was responsible for creating and operationalizing business strategy across all major functions, including merchandising, marketing, technology, and fulfillment, with a focus on sustainable and profitable long-term growth. During his time as Zappos CTO, Rajan led the creation and execution of Zappos’ technology and data strategy in the context of rapid business growth and scalability.

Rajan has been building and operating Internet-based solutions since the mid ’90s. His earlier career included roles as the CTO of One Kings Lane in San Francisco; co-founder and CTO of New York City’s Intent Media; CTO of Travelocity Europe and LastMinute.com in London; and co-founder and CTO of ITRadar.com in Minneapolis.