Paul Guyardo Named CEO of Petplan

Direct-to-consumer media & retail veteran sees explosive growth potential in the subscription-based pet health insurance industry

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Petplan announced today that Paul Guyardo will join the company as President & Chief Executive Officer, effective January 28, 2019.  Guyardo was tapped to drive massive growth for Petplan – a leading player in North America's $1 billion pet health insurance subscription business.  He will report to Petplan's Chairman Vernon W. Hill, II. 

"Health insurance for pets is a big business in Europe but has yet to take off in the U.S. and Canada," said Mr. Hill.  "Given Paul's incredible track record, he is the perfect person to introduce Petplan to millions of pet-loving homes across North America." 

"Only 1 percent of the 185 million dogs and cats are insured in North America," added Guyardo.  "Petplan is well-positioned to be the brand of choice given its higher-level of coverage and customer service."

Most recently, Guyardo served as the Chief Commercial Officer for Discovery Communications.  He quadrupled subscribers of Eurosport Player (a Discovery European sports OTT service) from 250,000 to nearly 1 million within one year and introduced nine TV streaming apps that are now viewed over 1 billion minutes per month.

Prior to Discovery, Guyardo was Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer at DIRECTV.   During his 10-year run, Guyardo grew subscribers from 15 million to 20 million, increased revenue from $12 billion to $25 billion, reduced churn to the lowest level in the industry, and developed award-winning advertising that garnered 12 Cannes Lions.

Prior to joining DIRECTV, Guyardo was Chief Marketing Officer for Kmart Corporation and Executive Vice President of Television & Marketing at HSN.  During his eight-year tenure at HSN, revenue grew by nearly 50 percent.

Guyardo currently serves on the Boards of NutriSystem and Edelman Financial Engines as well as the Northwestern University National Advisory Council for the School of Communication.  He and his wife Vickie have two children and are proud pet parents of Huncho, a 1-year-old Shichon.

Originally published on PR Newswire