Ben Chestnut

Ben Chestnut
Born	Template:Birth year and age Augusta, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation	Entrepreneur
Known for	Co-founder and former CEO of Mailchimp
Notable work	Mailchimp

Ben Chestnut (born 1973/1974) is a prominent American entrepreneur in the Internet sector, recognized as the co-founder (alongside Dan Kurzius) and former chief executive officer of Mailchimp, a top-tier company specializing in email marketing and customer relationship management. As of November 2022, his estimated net worth stood at approximately US$4.1 billion.

Early life

Chestnut grew up in Augusta, Georgia and completed his secondary education in Hephzibah, Georgia. He pursued studies in physics at the University of Georgia and furthered his education in industrial design at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Career

As a co-founder of Rocket Science Group, which operates under the name Mailchimp, Chestnut helped build a platform serving more than 15 million users worldwide. His entrepreneurial achievements earned him Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2016 and the title of "Most Admired CEO" from the Atlanta Business Chronicle in 2017. By October 2018, Forbes recognized him as a billionaire. In August 2022, Chestnut resigned from his CEO position following internal discussions concerning workplace culture and issues related to new employees’ use of preferred pronouns during virtual meetings.

Compensatory policies

Reflecting his dedication to employee welfare, Chestnut has focused company investments on offering extensive compensation benefits. This approach is influenced by his background, having been raised by a military father who faced economic challenges.

Risks of social media

In an interview with Forbes Magazine, Chestnut disputed the belief that social media would replace email and email marketing, highlighting the sustained importance of email within digital marketing frameworks.

Personal life

Chestnut lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his spouse and their two children.