Rent the Runway taps former New York Times exec as it bolsters leadership team

Rent the Runway has made two additions to its executive ranks.

The company that pioneered online apparel rental appointed Ellen Shultz as chief people officer and Larry Steinberg as chief technology officer.

Shultz has served as the executive VP of talent and inclusion at The New York Times and a member of the executive committee at The New York Times since 2016. In her role, she provided strategic guidance to the CEO and had operational oversight of the global HR function. Shultz’s start date is September 8, 2020.

Prior to The New York Times, from 2015-2016, Shultz served as VP and head of human resources at Media General, a broadcast and digital conglomerate.

“Ellen has a unique ability to create an inclusive, dynamic and people-centered culture across teams and has a proven track record developing strategies that deliver solutions to drive organizational excellence,” said Jennifer Hyman, Rent the Runway co-founder and CEO. “I am thrilled to have Ellen join our leadership team and look forward to leveraging her tremendous expertise as we continue our commitment to developing and fostering talent.”

Larry Steinberg joined the Rent the Runway team as a consultant in May and transitioned to the full-time role of CTO in July. Steinberg is responsible for leading Rent the Runway’s technology strategy. 

Steinberg has broad technology and business leadership experience which includes operating within companies of startup size through a top-10 tech company. He also founded and operated enterprise management startup Engyro (formerly Dirigo) which was acquired by Microsoft and then integrated into the Microsoft System Center product line. Steinberg managed multiple teams at Microsoft.