Social commerce platform WeShop Holdings Limited has appointed Maria Weaver as its new Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors.
The appointment took effect on June 15, 2026, as the firm prepares to launch its community-owned shopping platform in the United States. Ms Weaver transitions to the role with three decades of management experience across the media, technology, entertainment and digital transformation sectors.
In her previous position as Global President of Warner Music Experience, she increased divisional revenues from approximately $300 million to more than $650 million. Her career also includes management tenures at HBO, Comcast and Interactive One, alongside a recent role as Managing Director at the New York investment bank Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips.
Ms Weaver takes over the executive position from Paul Ellerbeck, who will maintain an operational presence on the corporate board. The leadership transition is intended to spearhead the retail platform’s expansion into the American market following initial testing operations in the United Kingdom.
John Foley, Chairman of WeShop, said: “Maria’s appointment represents the start of our journey to build a substantial presence in the United States which is the cornerstone for our global growth strategy. Maria will succeed CEO Paul Ellerbeck who will have a continuing operational role on the Board. Maria has a depth of experience across consumer facing e-commerce platforms which will enable her to fully develop and lead a team that will be able to scale WeShop into a significant presence for the enduring benefit of our community of share owning users. I want to thank Paul Ellerbeck for the important role he played in developing the technology platform which WeShop trades on and which has been tried and tested in the UK.”
The company positions itself as a community-owned digital marketplace that gives shares to its users. Corporate founders state that this model provides a distinct alternative to standard consumer loyalty programmes by offering direct platform equity to shoppers.
Ms Weaver said: “I’ve spent my career building platforms at the intersection of community, content and commerce, and WeShop is one of the most original ideas I’ve encountered. WeShop doesn’t just reward loyalty, it replaces it with something more powerful: ownership. That creates a genuinely differentiated value proposition for consumers, retailers and shareholders alike. Founder John Garner and the team have built something special in the UK, a foundation that validates the model, and now the company is well-positioned for U.S. expansion. I look forward to building the US team and leading that growth.”
The Nasdaq-listed corporation will focus its upcoming operations on building a dedicated executive team in the United States to manage the international expansion.
