Groupon gets Amazon exec as new CFO

The company has hired Jason Child, who brings 12 years of experience with Amazon to Groupon

Groupon welcomed a new addition to the family this week.  The company announced Monday morning that former Amazon VP of finance Jason Child will now be Groupon’s chief financial officer, bringing along his 12 years of experience at Amazon and seven years of experience as a CPA and consulting manager at Arthur Andersen.

 “Jason brings a wealth of e-commerce expertise to the role and we're excited to have him on board. It's a win for our team,” said Groupon spokesperson Julie Mossler via email.

Child oversaw Amazon’s $14 billion International business, serving as VP of finance for Asia and finance director for Germany.  He has also done stints in Investor Relations, Application Software, Marketing and cross-site merchandising, and has served as Worldwide Corporate Controller.

“Groupon is one of the most amazing businesses I have ever seen,” said Child in a prepared statement. “I am thrilled to join a great team that is attacking one of the biggest opportunities in e-commerce today.”

Having spent the last 12 years with a multi-billion dollar public company, Child will bring his unique expertise to Groupon, which is believed to be gearing up for an IPO in 2011, following its rejection of Google’s $6 billion buyout offer. 

Over the course of the last year, Groupon founder and CEO Andrew Mason has repeatedly insisted that Groupon is not planning an IPO.  In July, Mason told Bloomberg in a televised interview that the only time he thinks about an IPO is “when a reporter asks me.”  He added: “We’re completely focused on building a cool product for our customers and we’re not thinking about that sort of thing at all right now.”

Sources close to the matter told Bloomberg that Mason turned down Google’s offer partly out of fear that the sale would dampen employee morale and alienate business clients, but the company will decide on whether and how to pursue an IPO in 2011.  

Image sources: linkedin.com, groupon.com