Dive Brief:

• Instant delivery company Gorillas announced on Wednesday that it has added a chief financial officer and chief operating officer to its corporate ranks.
• Adrian Frenzel, who briefly served as co-CEO of HelloFresh US, will become the Berlin-based company’s COO while Elmar Broscheit, a veteran food delivery investor, will become CFO. 
• Gorillas said the new hires, along with its recent addition of a new human resources leader, are part of its new growth strategy centered on building a “sustainable and profitable” business.

Dive Insight:

With these latest C-suite appointments, Gorillas is trying to position itself as a seasoned company in an industry that feels a bit like the Wild West right now.

With many companies touting low or no order minimums and delivery fees, making money in ultra-fast delivery poses a serious challenge as firms focus mainly on acquiring customers and, potentially, getting acquired themselves. In New York City, where several ultra-fast delivery companies have launched recently, including Gorillas, subways, bus stops and billboards throughout the city are touting promises from numerous startups of delivery in 15 minutes or less.

Amid this melee, Gorillas, which is one of the largest players in the young industry, claims it's building a “sustainable and profitable” business as it scales and appeals to investors. It's appointing two executives with experience operating and investing in food delivery. In early August, the company named HR executive Deena Fox as its global chief people officer.

“We will focus on building a scalable and robust business infrastructure to support our existing operations and boost our market penetration,” CEO Kagan Sümer said in a statement.

Frenzel, who will oversee Gorillas' global growth strategy, served briefly as co-CEO of meal kit maker HelloFresh’s U.S. business from 2015 to 2016, according to his LinkedIn profile — a time when that company was battling for market share in a nascent industry. He also founded startups like Moonfare, EatFirst and B2B Food Group and brings “long term experience in building global operational excellence and sustainable growth” to Gorillas, according to the announcement.

Broscheit has more than a decade of experience helping scale companies internationally, mainly as a venture capitalist and angel investor. His investments include food delivery companies in Germany, the Netherlands and China. He was also an angel investor in Gorillas, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Gorillas currently operates in 55 cities across nine countries and is growing globally. In the U.S., job listings indicate it plans to expand to Los Angeles and Chicago.