MercadoLibre CEO Steps Aside After 25 Years for Chairman Job

MercadoLibre Inc. Chief Executive Officer Marcos Galperin will become executive chairman of the e-commerce and financial technology giant, marking the first change in the top job since he founded Latin America’s most valuable company more than two decades ago.

Ariel Szarfsztejn, who has been an executive at the company since 2017, will become MercadoLibre’s new CEO as of Jan. 1, 2026, according to a company filing Wednesday. The 43-year-old Argentine, who like Galperin received an MBA from Stanford University, is currently the commerce president at the company often known by its stock ticker MELI.