Mailchimp Co-founder Ben Chestnut steps down as CEO

Ben Chestnut is stepping down as CEO of Mailchimp, adding to a string of massive changes for the Atlanta-based marketing technology giant.

Chestnut, who founded Mailchimp in 2001 alongside Dan Kurzius, said in a blog post Wednesday that he's moving into a founder-advisor role and that Rania Succar, who leads the Intuit Inc.'s QuickBooks Money team, will replace him as Mailchimp's CEO. Intuit agreed to buy Mailchimp last September for $12 billion. It was considered to be the largest sale of a bootstrapped technology company in the nation.

"I couldn’t be happier with this decision," Chestnut wrote. "The main reason I wanted Mailchimp to join Intuit was because I wanted it to become a full platform for small businesses. This company is my legacy – my baby! I want to see it grow up into a world-class business."

Chestnut called Succar a "proven leader" who "has what it takes to take Mailchimp to the next level, drive critical growth, and impact our customers’ lives globally." Chestnut, who is 48 years old and one of the world's wealthiest people, added that, although he's taking a step back from day-to-day responsibilities, he will stay on Mailchimp's leadership team, helping to drive product innovation. He said the role is inspired by Scott Cook, Intuit's co-founder who is still present at the software company, and former Intuit CEO and board chair Bill Campbell, the “Trillion Dollar Coach” who "served as internal mentor for leaders at hugely successful companies," Chestnut said.

"You’ll still see me around – at the office, in key meetings, on Slack – just in a different capacity," he wrote. "My role will continue to evolve over time, but some of the things I’m looking forward to are helping recruit great talent, speaking at events, representing the Mailchimp brand in the Atlanta and entrepreneurial communities, and working with leaders to motivate teams and inspire creativity. "

Last year's deal with Intuit came amid plans for Mailchimp to relocate its headquarters from Atlanta's Ponce City Market to a 300,000-square-foot headquarters on the BeltLine Eastside Trail. The move was expected to be completed by the end of this year.