Rob Chesnut passes baton to Trust & Safety “guy”, Matt Halprin

Senior Vice President of Trust & Safety, Rob Chesnut has made many friends in the Community over his eight years.  That's because he's always kept the Community front-and-center in his work.  Ironically, some of the decisions he's made in the interest of the Community's safety have also been the most controversial (like Safeguarding Member IDs). But, Rob's not only been a policy-maker, he's been a communicator, and this passionate interest in helping the Community understand is a big part of what has endeared him to so many people over the years. He was a faithful presence at eBay Live!, Town Halls, in email correspondence, and even as a Pink on the forums. Rob knew that helping people see a broader perspective goes a long way to building credibility and respect.  Even if people don't agree with you at the end of the day, they respect you.

But Rob's kept an unusually low profile lately.  So low that regulars on our Trust & Safety forum were recently speculating about his whereabouts.

Many people have been aware that Rob has been away on sabbatical. As time went on, we began to wonder if he'd be returning to his post.  Recently, an internal email announced that Matt Halprin – another very familiar face and voice – is stepping up to lead the global Trust & Safety organization. So what about Rob?

In a personal email, he let the Chatter team know that he'll be helping our legal team on some special projects. As to a long-term position?  Rob said that there are no definite plans. While it's sad to think of an eBay marketplace without Rob, the Chatter team wishes him the best.  And we're all grateful for his contributions – both towards marketplace safety and to all that he did to help build a relationship built on trust and respect with our Community.

As for Matt, he's no stranger to the Community either.  His team has been responsible for launching many initiatives, including Feedback 2.0 (Detailed Seller Ratings), Buyer Requirements, our anti-counterfeiting initiatives, and our recent efforts to raise seller standards to ensure great buying experiences.  Congratulations, Matt!