Trade Me names new chief executive

Anders Skoe has been named as Trade Me's new chief executive. He is currently the CEO of Finn.no and executive vice-president of Nordic Marketplaces at Schibsted in Norway.

Finn.no is a similar business to Trade Me, operating across automotive, real estate and employment classifieds, as well as a general items marketplace. Finn is part of the large, diverse, Norway-based global marketplace and media company Schibsted.

Prior to joining Finn in 2010, Skoe worked for Google and Radiance Technologies, and has an engineering background.

Skoe said he was excited to be taking on a new challenge.

"Trade Me is a fantastic business with great potential to grow," adds Skoe. It’s particularly exciting to come into this business when it is going through a significant moment in its history, with a move back into private ownership. I’m looking forward to moving to New Zealand with my family, and joining the Trade Me team in late July."

Trade Me’s current CEO Jon Macdonald will continue in the role until Skoe arrives later in the year.

Macdonald had planned to leave Trade Me at the end of 2018, but at the request of the board he agreed to stay on while Trade Me went through a Scheme of Arrangement with Titan AcquisitionCo New Zealand Limited and to ensure a smooth transition to a new CEO.

"I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Anders at Finn’s HQ in Oslo some time ago," says Macdonald. "I’m delighted that he’s agreed to take on the CEO role here, particularly given his strong experience in leading such a closely comparable business in a similar market. I wish him all the very best, and I look forward to seeing Trade Me continue to thrive."