Pipedream CEO Matthew Matsudaira has been speaking publicly about his new role, after taking over from outgoing CEO Nick Orlandino three months’ ago.
“In the spirit of three months, I’ll give you three words that come to mind when I think about Pipedream,” said Matsudaira in a public statement issued by the company. “Passionate – our team is passionate about delivering world-class products to our customers; positive – our people are optimistic and excited about what we have planned at Pipedream, believing in our vision and looking forward to accomplishing our goals; and potential – our team is excited to be working to grow the business and focus on being the best in every aspect of our organisation. Big things are on the horizon.”
Comparing the adult sector to others he has operated in, Matsudaira said: “In my opinion the benefits of the adult sexual wellness industry are that it attracts a lot of creative and out-of-the-box thinkers, who are extremely passionate about their jobs. Also, there is a youthful streak that I believe has been bubbling underneath the surface for years and looks ready to boil over and disrupt the industry. The same fundamentals apply though – this is a business and at the end of day we are selling dildos and vibrators within the same framework. Our focus is to deliver an amazing customer experience. We will be innovative with our products. I will be supportive and focused on developing our people both personally and professionally.”
Matsudaira’s background includes leadership roles at fashion retailer Nordstrom, online giant Amazon, and pet specialists Chewy.com, and drawing on his experiences with these firms he said: “Over the past few years, Pipedream has struggled. I believe Pipedream has a tremendous amount of potential that needs to be nourished. I have led billion-dollar business units and the framework stays the same, whether I’m selling luxury retail products, solving tough problems with technology, or selling dog food. It comes down to people, processes and product. From my Nordstrom days, I took away the importance of being customer obsessed. At Amazon, I learned logistics and operations. I was challenged to ‘think big’ to solve big problems for customers. At Chewy, I learned how to scale a business from start-up phase to being a large enterprise, making history for the largest ecommerce acquisition in history. There is untapped potential at Pipedream and I’m grateful to be part of this team.”
Matsudaira concluded by stating that his focus will be on building a foundation and culture, cultivating the best people, being customer obsessed, and working towards its goals. “My team has a new saying that has been resonating through our hallways, ‘it’s not business as usual at Pipedream, but it’s better business’ – every day we will be laser focused on making our people, retailers, distributors, and consumers better.”
