Paul Burns named CEO of SkipTheDishes

The well-known executive has had leadership positions across Canada’s media and agency landscape, including X, Huge and Shaw. 

Paul Burns is choosing to “SkipTheDishes” for his next major career move. 

The well-known Canadian exec has been named CEO of the food delivery platform. He arrives at Skip after almost five years as managing director of X (formerly Twitter), having overseen the creation of the company’s first engineering hub in Canada. Burns was a part of global layoffs that hit when Elon Musk took over the company and the Canadian office downsized in late 2022. Prior to X, he was managing director of Toronto agency Huge for almost four years. 

Burns has focused on digital roles and companies for his entire career, starting at Bell’s MSN/Sympatico service in 2007 and quickly rising up the ranks as VP of digital at Canwest, and then holding the same title at Shaw Communications. 

This is the second CEO appointment for SkipTheDishes in 2023 and the third in a calendar year. Steve Puchala was promoted to interim CEO this spring, succeeding Howard Migdal, who was CEO for five months before that. Migdal moved up within Skip’s parentco, Amsterdam-based global conglomerate JustEatTakeaway.com. 

A spokesperson confirmed to MiC that Puchala’s role was intended to be temporary while the search for a new CEO to fulfill Migdal’s role took place. “​​Puchala will be retiring at the end of the year and is currently pursuing his personal dreams of training for an Ironman,” the spokesperson said. 

Burns joins the company as it has sought to expand into new categories and build out its business following a pandemic-fuelled boom. It recently appointed former LoyaltyOne exec Rachel MacAdam as its VP marketing.

“The food delivery industry has vastly changed since Skip’s inception, and we’re seeing customers, couriers and restaurants seek out digital-first and technologically innovative experiences that prioritize ease of use and convenience first and foremost,” Burns said in a release. “As we continue to streamline our efforts and give back time so millions of Canadians can do more of the things they love, I’m looking forward to continuing to lead best-in-class efforts here at Skip and unlocking our full potential as Canada’s homegrown delivery network.”