Flexport Founder Retakes CEO Title As Dave Clark Departs

Flexport CEO Dave Clark is resigning after a year of leading the logistics company.

Taking his place, Clark announced Wednesday (Sept. 6), will be founder Ryan Petersen, who is also the company’s former chief executive.

“Today, Ryan and I discussed his desire to return to focusing on growth in the core freight business,” Clark, former CEO of Amazon Worldwide, wrote in a memo shared on Twitter. “In light of that, I feel that he is best suited to lead the company in that direction.”

A report by Bloomberg News says the resignation came as a surprise in tech circles, as Clark had just a day earlier announced plans to speak at a company event next week.

That report cites a source familiar with the matter who says that Clark — who had apparently been tagged with the nickname “The Sniper” while at Amazon — had a tough time adjusting to life at the more hands-on Flexport after years with the much larger company.

A separate report by the Wall Street Journal suggested Clark’s resignation may be tied to the fact that he’s considering a run for governor of his home state of Texas in 2026.

Clark left his role at Amazon in June of last year, and within days announced he was becoming CEO at Flexport, starting in September 2022.

“The supply chain has entered everyday national discourse for all the wrong reasons,” Clark wrote on LinkedIn. “Put simply, the United States supply chain suffers from a significant fragmentation of technology and process.”

Flexport, he argued, has worked to address the issue by “tackling the most complicated piece of the supply chain: the global cross-border movement of goods.”

Under his leadership, Flexport in June acquired Shopify Logistics, adding eCommerce fulfillment, B2B distribution and last-mile delivery to its services portfolio.

Clark said at the time that the purchase would streamline global supply chain operations, “democratizing and leveling the playing field of cost and speed of delivery for all businesses.” It will also offer “3-million-square-feet of warehouse space to support merchants during the upcoming holiday season.”

His resignation came one day after another leadership change in the logistics world. As PYMNTS reported, eCommerce logistics solutions provider Radial has named its chief operating officer (COO) Laura Ritchey as the CEO of Radial North America.

Ritchey, who has been with the company since 2021 as COO, has also held senior leadership positions at L Brands, Victoria’s Secret Beauty, FullBeauty Brands and Centric Brands.